Live Satellite Tracking, Orbital Trajectories & Earth Observation
Orbital Eye provides high-precision real-time satellite tracking and 3D Earth orbit visualization. Telemetry coordinates are derived from authoritative two-line element sets (TLEs) published by CelesTrak and the 18th Space Defense Squadron, propagated using standard Simplified General Perturbations-4 (SGP4) mathematical models.
Supported Orbital Regimes & Spacecraft
Monitor Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO), and Sun-Synchronous Orbits (SSO). Featured spacecraft include the International Space Station (ISS), Tiangong Space Station, ISRO Cartosat-3 and EOS-04, NavIC (IRNSS) constellation, Hubble Space Telescope, and Starlink megaconstellation batches.
Telemetry Methodology: Live Observations vs. SGP4 Propagation
Calculated satellite positions reflect high-precision SGP4 propagation from recent orbital epochs. Direct live telemetry feeds (e.g. WhereTheISS.at real-time ping and SatNOGS radio transmitter passes) are synchronized continuously to maintain sub-second visual accuracy.
External broadcast feeds experience periodic LOS (Loss of Signal) during orbital handover.
Visual broadcast only — not used as an orbital telemetry source.
GUIDED STORIES & MISSION TOURS
STEP 1/2
Mission Milestone
LAYERS & VISUAL SETTINGS
Earth Observation Layers
Note on Clouds & Climate Datasets (CO₂ / SST / O₃): Unavailable — live satellite raster texture source not configured. Enable only verified orbital and terminator layers above.
3D Surface Lighting Mode
Scene Elements & Guides
SIMULATION EPOCH & RATE
Historical or future dates reconstruct mathematical orbits and do not imply a recorded live sensor feed.
SHARE & EMBED CURRENT 3D STATE
Generates a reproducible link preserving your active view mode, selected target, and simulation epoch.
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GEOMETRIC CONJUNCTION & PROXIMITY SCREENER
⚠️ Scientific Disclaimer: This screener evaluates unperturbed geometric SGP4 proximity (< 100 km). It is an informational/educational tool and does not compute formal covariance-based collision probabilities (Pc) or substitute for official 18th Space Defense Squadron Conjunction Data Messages (CDMs).
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Model: SGP4 ECI Vector Clearance (24h Window)
RESPONSIBLE RE-ENTRY & ORBITAL DECAY TRACKER
🌐 Attribution & Boundaries: Based on published CelesTrak SATCAT decay records and Space-Track TIP data. No deterministic impact point coordinates are calculated because upper-atmospheric density variations make exact ground impact points impossible to predict accurately in advance.
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Source: CelesTrak SATCAT / Space-Track TIP
GROUND STATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS CONTEXT
📡 Geometric Line-of-Sight: Stations evaluate whether the selected satellite has an elevation angle > 5° above the local antenna horizon. Geometric visibility does not imply an active transmission, scheduled carrier lock, or downlinked telemetry stream.
Calculating topocentric line-of-sight passes...
Networks: ISRO ISTRAC • NASA DSN • ESA ESTRACK • SatNOGS
🔬SCIENTIFIC EXPLAINABILITY & ASTRODYNAMICS GUIDE
1. Propagated SGP4 vs. Direct Measured Downlink
Continuous real-time GPS telemetry from satellites is rarely publicly broadcasted (with the exception of ISS downlinks). Most orbital tracking computes positions by integrating mean Keplerian elements (Two-Line Element sets) using the SGP4 (Simplified General Perturbations) model, which models the Earth's oblateness (J2, J3, J4 gravitational harmonics) and atmospheric drag.
2. Orbital Element Epoch & Freshness
The Epoch is the exact UTC timestamp when radar tracking stations last solved the satellite's orbital elements. SGP4 propagation accuracy is highest within $\pm 3$ days of epoch. Beyond 30 days, unmodeled drag and station-keeping maneuvers cause error growth.
3. Geometric Conjunction vs. Collision Risk
A geometric conjunction simply means that two calculated orbital paths pass within a small geometric distance at a given time. Official collision assessments require full error covariance matrices, hard-body radius estimates, and orbital tracking confidence to compute true collision probability ($P_c$).
4. Optical Twilight & Naked-Eye Visibility
A satellite is only visible to the naked eye from Earth when three conditions are met: (1) the satellite is above the observer's horizon, (2) the satellite is illuminated by sunlight (not inside Earth's umbral shadow), and (3) the observer on the ground is in darkness (civil, nautical, or astronomical twilight / night).
5. Atmospheric Re-entry Uncertainties
Space objects re-entering the atmosphere experience severe hypersonic aerothermal heating and break up at 80–50 km altitude. Because solar activity causes the upper thermosphere to expand or contract unpredictably, re-entry predictions always carry uncertainty windows of hours or days.
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