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We introduce a relative version of the spherical objects of Seidel and Thomas. Define an object E in the derived category D(Z x X) to be spherical over Z if the corresponding functor from D(Z) to D(X) gives rise to autoequivalences of D(Z) and D(X) in a certain natural way. Most known examples come from subschemes of X fibred over Z. This categorifies to the notion of an object of D(Z x X) orthogonal over Z. We prove that such an object is spherical over Z if and only if it has certain cohomological properties similar to those in the original definition of a spherical object. We then interpret this geometrically in the case when our objects are actual flat fibrations in X over Z., 29 pages; v2: A missing assumption reinstated in Prop. 3.7, some notation cleaned up. The final version to appear in Adv. in Math