OrbitNight

NORAD 870

EXPLORER 20

In orbit
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Computing position…
Blue circle: where it is above the horizon now

Time

Local time
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Position

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Longitude
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Altitude
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Speed

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Kilometers per second
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Miles per second
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From your location

Azimuth
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Elevation
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Right ascension
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Declination
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Local sidereal time
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Sunlight

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Its orbit in 3D

Goes round Earth once every 103 minutes, on an orbit tilted 79.9° from the equator, between 863 and 1,024 km up. Earth is drawn to scale.

Drag to turn · pinch to zoom · it moves live

About EXPLORER 20

EXPLORER 20 is a satellite from the United States, launched on Aug 25, 1964 from Air Force Western Test Range.

It circles Earth every 103 minutes (13.9 times a day), between 852 and 993 km up, on an orbit tilted 79.9° to the equator, so its path covers latitudes up to 80° north and south.

The map shows where it is right now; the pass list tells you when it next comes over your location.

Explorer 20 · NASA satellite of the Explorer program

Wikipedia article ↗ · Names and facts: Wikidata (CC0).

Orbit height over the past year

Over the last 8 days its lowest point went from 851 km to 852 km. Sudden rises are engine burns that lift the orbit; slow declines are drag from the thin upper atmosphere.

Lowest point (perigee)Highest point (apogee)
8509009501,000

From Space-Track element sets, one point a day.