diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c258d719..d8708b4e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -271,6 +271,8 @@ ActorBuilder.set_orbit(actor=sat_actor,
                        epoch=pk.epoch(0), central_body=earth)
 ```
 
+N.B. `set_orbit` creates an analytical [two-body](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-body_problem) orbit. Perturbations such as Earth oblateness (J2) and atmospheric drag are not modelled, so propagated positions deviate from real satellite trajectories as the propagation horizon grows — for a satellite in low Earth orbit, typically hundreds of kilometers within a few hours and thousands of kilometers within a few days relative to the corresponding SGP4/TLE trajectory. If your orbit data comes from a TLE, prefer `set_TLE` below.
+
 ##### SGP4 / Two-line element (TLE) 
 
 For using SGP4 / [Two-line element (TLE)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-line_element_set) you need to specify the TLE of the [SpacecraftActor](#spacecraftactor). In this case, we will use the TLE of the [Sentinel-2A](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentinel-2) satellite from [celestrak](https://celestrak.com/).
diff --git a/paseos/actors/actor_builder.py b/paseos/actors/actor_builder.py
index 17d022a3..00bbccbc 100644
--- a/paseos/actors/actor_builder.py
+++ b/paseos/actors/actor_builder.py
@@ -236,6 +236,10 @@ def set_TLE(
 
         TLEs can be obtained from https://www.space-track.org/ or https://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/
 
+        The actor will be propagated with SGP4, i.e. consistently with the model
+        that generated the TLE. Prefer this over set_orbit when your orbit data
+        comes from a TLE (see the note in set_orbit).
+
         Args:
             actor (SpacecraftActor): Actor to update.
             line1 (str): First line of the TLE.
@@ -262,7 +266,16 @@ def set_orbit(
         epoch: pk.epoch,
         central_body: pk.planet,
     ):
-        """Define the orbit of the actor
+        """Define the orbit of the actor as an analytical Keplerian two-body orbit.
+
+        Note that perturbations such as Earth oblateness (J2) and atmospheric drag
+        are not modelled by this orbit, so propagated positions increasingly deviate
+        from real satellite trajectories as the propagation horizon grows. For a
+        satellite in low Earth orbit, the deviation from the corresponding SGP4/TLE
+        trajectory typically reaches hundreds of kilometers within a few hours and
+        thousands of kilometers within a few days. If your position / velocity come
+        from a TLE, use set_TLE instead to propagate with SGP4. For higher-fidelity
+        propagators, use set_custom_orbit.
 
         Args:
             actor (BaseActor): The actor to define on