Interactive 3D Solar System
Fly through a real-time 3D solar system — planets orbit and spin at true relative rates with axial tilts, rings and moons. Click any world to follow it and open a full data dossier, speed time up to a decade per second, and flip to true scale.
Explore the Solar System
Click any body — the Sun, a planet, one of 18 named moons, Pluto or Halley's Comet — to follow it and open its dossier.- Positions approximate the real sky for today's date.
- Orbits are elliptical and inclined — watch Pluto cut through the plane and Halley dive past the Sun, tail first.
- Select a planet to reveal and tour its moons.
- Speed the clock to a decade per second, or snap a PNG photo.
Real NASA-published values for sizes, distances, orbital elements, rotation, tilts and temperatures; positions from J2000 mean elements (approximate). Planet surface maps by Solar System Scope (CC BY 4.0). Rendered locally with three.js — nothing is uploaded.
What Is the Interactive 3D Solar System?
This interactive 3D solar system renders the Sun, all eight planets, Earth's Moon and Pluto with real astronomy data — every orbit, spin rate, axial tilt and retrograde rotation runs at its true relative pace. Drag to orbit the camera, scroll to zoom, and click any body to follow it while a dossier shows its diameter, mass, gravity, day and year length, temperature, atmosphere and hand-picked facts (with compare-to-Earth ratios). Run time from paused up to a decade per second to watch Neptune crawl while Mercury whips around, toggle orbit lines and labels, and switch between a readable compressed layout and honest true-to-scale distances that show just how empty space really is. Saturn's rings, the asteroid belt and a starfield complete the scene — all rendered locally with three.js, nothing uploaded.
How It Works
Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, and click a planet (or pick it from Go To) to follow it and read its dossier. Use the play/pause button and speed presets to control time, toggle Orbits and Labels, and try True Scale to see real proportions. Fullscreen and Pop Out give it the whole screen.
When to Use It
Teaching or learning astronomy, comparing planet sizes and distances, checking a planet's day length or gravity, showing kids why Pluto's year lasts 248 Earth years — or just exploring space from your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the solar system simulator free?
- Yes — completely free, no account or sign-up. The 3D engine loads right in your browser.
- Are the orbits and sizes real?
- Yes. Orbital periods, rotation rates, axial tilts, sizes, distances, gravity and temperatures use NASA-published values. Visible Scale compresses distances so everything fits on screen; True Scale shows honest proportions.
- Can I speed up or pause time?
- Yes — pause, or run at one day, week, month, year or decade per simulated second. The date readout tracks where the simulation is.
- Does it work fullscreen?
- Yes — use Fullscreen to fill the window or Pop Out to open it in its own resizable window.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-27