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Orbital Atlas: Exploring the World Above Our World
Look up, and it's easy to imagine the space around Earth as mostly empty. Orbital Atlas shows something else: a moving neighborhood of satellites, rocket bodies, and debris, each following its own path around the planet.
I built Orbital Atlas as an interactive way to explore that neighborhood. It brings public orbital data into a 3D view of Earth, where you can move from the big picture to a single object and follow your curiosity.
You don't need to understand orbital mechanics to start. Rotate the globe, zoom out, and pick a point.
That point becomes something specific. Select an object to see its name, altitude, velocity, orbital period, and inclination, the tilt of its orbit. Display its predicted path and see how it moves around Earth. Search by name or NORAD catalog ID when you have something particular in mind.
The filters help reveal different parts of the picture. You can separate payloads from rocket bodies and debris, or explore low Earth orbit and the geosynchronous region, plus medium Earth and highly elliptical orbits. Switching views raises questions: Why does this object follow such a different path? How long does it take to circle Earth? What else shares this region?
You can also change your perspective.
Earth view keeps the wider orbital neighborhood in sight. Inspect follows a selected object and lets you circle an enlarged schematic. Onboard places your viewpoint at the object's calculated position, so you can look around from its place in orbit.
The onboard view is a simulated perspective, and the schematics are generic representations. Their purpose is to make an otherwise abstract position easier to understand.
Time adds another dimension. Pause the simulation, step forward or backward, or accelerate playback up to 600 times normal speed. Paths that are difficult to grasp in a still image become easier to follow as objects move. You can also explore dates within 30 days of the catalog snapshot.
Behind the visualization, Orbital Atlas uses public orbital elements and the SGP4/SDP4 models through satellite.js to calculate positions. It includes a bundled catalog snapshot and an option to request refreshed orbital elements from CelesTrak.
That distinction matters: the moving points represent calculated positions, not live measurements. Older data, atmospheric drag, and spacecraft maneuvers can affect accuracy. The catalog also leaves out objects that are too small to track, unavailable publicly, or missing usable orbital data. The interface makes those limits visible, including warnings about aging elements.
For me, this project connects software, visualization, and learning. A catalog becomes more approachable when you can explore it spatially, change the time, and examine an object from several perspectives.
Start with the whole planet. Choose one object. Follow its orbit. Then look back at Earth from its modeled position.