[tigoCeree]

....how do I know whether I am in the true astral or the real-time or a higher body?

You can develop your clairvoyance and be able to see some of the subtle body layers as they develop by examining your hand in dim light with the third eye or by projecting far enough away from self to look back and observe the body in bi location . Nut I feel the easiest way is to examine your experience within each projection instead .

....Does anyone know if these experiences are real astral or real time zone or are they lucid dreams of astral travel?

This is often subject to the projector's perspective . Here is my own take which may not be common to other's experiences in projection ;

Astral : There is not as much constraint or control . There are psychodelic colours which may not be associated with any shape but seem to float there . In this view we are often missing "floors" , "walls" and "ceilings". So we seem to be underwater and viewing is limited only by sight and not by physical constraints . There are many floating objects. Other people seem to pop in or disappear like cheshire cats .There are no boundaries it is a dream like scape . Astral vision is often possible even before projection as you lie in bed in dim light and begin to trance you can see where you are about to go to as you leave . When you seek someone in the astral they may not look skin coloured and not be there at all but you may be seeing an auric reading of their energy manifesting as them or they may not be aware of themselves being with you and may be fast asleep at the time or even busy at work .

Lucid Dreaming seems to me to be the ability to manipulate what is viewed or felt within a dream or to manifest a mindscape within a dream as a sort of personal retreat or to set the stage and the environment while dreaming . In a lucid dream another you meet may only be an image and not have any connection to the live one you seek .

Real Time Zone is much easier to determine for me as I do this while I am consciously awake and choose where I am going and can confirm my experiences with the live person I visit remotely . This can easily be tested online with a partner . The sight there for me tends to be energy signatures footprints , silhouettes , hot and cold , moving or non moving , alive or just touched coded sight . My mind has to see interpret and move slowly or it all becomes blurred .

Spiritual realms have depth , heighth and width . Projectors that concurrenly visit with you can be seen but otherwise these places seem to be peopled with angels or spirit teachers . There are buildings and valleys mountains , lakes and clouds . Animals dont often appear unless they are totemic in nature and then these tend to be in lower astral totemic plane .
There are well known famous places that can be accessed by projectors ie
Akashic Library ,
Shamballah ,
Temples of Compassion ,
Blue Lodge
Great Pyramid
Wesak Valley spirit realm
Gates of Death
and the Abyss

Hope this helps you .