Satellite paths & GPS skyplot
Follow satellites around Earth. Discover their orbits, the missions behind them, and what your own GPS observations can reveal.
Globe & Atlas: Orbits is a hands-on educational companion for curious people. Explore how a globe becomes a map, follow the satellites above us, and make observations of your own—all at your own pace.
A globe becomes an atlas
Rotate Earth and unfold it into different map projections. Compare their shapes and discover what changes when a round world meets a flat page.
Get to know the satellites above you
Explore navigation satellites, a sampled Starlink constellation, and Earth-observing missions. Follow their calculated paths across the globe and map, then pull back to see their orbital heights in perspective. Investigate Landsat’s repeating coverage and explore published imagery footprints.
Understand coverage and physical scale
Choose an observer point to explore predicted GNSS visibility with Lines and Cones. Compare verified spacecraft sizes with familiar human and dinosaur references using one physical scale. Browse upcoming launches, follow events, and explore sourced mission guides.
Explore the stories left in orbit
Visit Orbituary, a collection of spaceflight stories about retired spacecraft, rocket stages, and orbital debris. Browse themed collections, discover the missions behind the objects, and follow the sources to learn more.
Make your own observations
Record location samples on iPhone or Apple Watch, save a field observation, and explore the resulting trace. See how reported location uncertainty accompanies each sample, revisit the feel of early GPS instruments, or view a recorded trace in augmented reality.
Make the instrument your own
Choose from contemporary and heritage-inspired appearances. GPX and GeoJSON exports are free for everyone. Optional Field Pass adds printable observation plates, additional instrument themes, alternate app icons, and a Field Surveyor plaque. Core exploration, recording, replay, and the Watch companion are free.
Created by Globe & Atlas for geographic learning, close observation, and the pleasure of understanding a little more about our world.
A note on the data
Satellite positions are calculated predictions from sourced orbital elements, rather than measurements of signals received by your device. Historical exhibits do not imply a current orbital position. Camera alignment is approximate. A one-minute iPhone recording started in Orbits can continue while you switch apps or lock the phone; force-quitting ends it. Sources and further reading are available throughout the app.
I came for the satellite tracking and stayed for the projections. Globe & Atlas: Orbits packs a surprising amount of real learning into something you'd happily poke at for twenty minutes before bed.
The projection section alone is worth the download. Rotating the globe and watching it unfold into different flat maps — then comparing what stretches, what shrinks, and what quietly lies to you — is the clearest hands-on explanation of projection distortion I've run into. It's the kind of thing that takes a chapter to explain in a textbook and about ninety seconds here.
The orbital side is just as good. You can follow navigation and Earth-observing satellites along their calculated paths, then pull back to see those paths in proper vertical perspective, which makes it intuitive rather than abstract.
Orbituary was an unexpected favorite: short, well-sourced stories about retired spacecraft, spent rocket stages, and debris. It gives the whole thing a sense of history rather than just a live feed of dots. I kept looking for a wall.e Easter egg floating around but didn’t see one.
Recording your own location samples and seeing the reported uncertainty attached to each one is a quiet but genuinely useful feature. Watching accuracy wander as you move is a better lesson in GPS error than any diagram.
Credit to the developer! This is a keeper.
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