About this project

This is an interactive model of the solar system that is quite, but not entirely, realistic.

The vast distances and differences in space and time that are present in the real solar system can make observation boring or intimidating. This model contains real data and real orbital math; but distances and differences in space and time are algorithmically reduced to make the exploration experience more interesting and fun.

Key features

• all major celestial objects with real characteristics and 8K NASA textures,
• realistic Milky Way background (8K photographic sky),
• live Earth cloud imagery, updated daily,
• ability to focus on, zoom and pan around celestial objects,
• panel showing absolute values and values relative to Earth's,
• immersive planetary surface exploration and WebXR VR support.

Controls

• Click an object to inspect it (or select it in the Camera drop-down)
• Drag to pan · scroll or pinch to zoom
• Click empty space to return