Free online, with no download
This Solar System Simulator runs online in the browser on a desktop, phone or tablet. It is free. You do not download an app, and you do not sign up or create an account. A current browser with WebGL is enough. Sizes and distances stay compressed for viewing unless you choose a real scale mode, and the clock is not a live sky map.
To place worlds yourself, open the Gravity Sandbox. It is a simple 2D solar system sandbox: click and drag to launch planets around a Sun. That page is a gravity toy, separate from this 3D model.
What this Solar System Simulator includes
These controls and objects are in the scene. The default view compresses sizes, distances and time so the planets stay visible, and the clock is not a live sky map.
- Sun, planets, moons and dwarf planets. All eight planets are here, with moons such as the Moon, Phobos, Deimos, the Galilean moons, Titan and Triton, plus Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea. Click one for its radius, orbital semi-major axis and eccentricity.
- Belts, rings and two example comets. A visual asteroid belt sits between Mars and Jupiter, and a Kuiper belt lies farther out. Saturn has the broad rings; Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune have thinner ones. A Halley-type comet and a long-period comet are examples, not a live comet catalog. High and Balanced quality also load shape models of Bennu and Itokawa.
- Scale and speed. Artistic is the default. Real distances, Real sizes and True scale are in the Scale menu. The Speed control at the top of this guide uses real orbital and rotation periods, from one hour to one year of simulated time per second. Spins faster than two turns per second are capped so the view does not flicker. It cannot set a calendar date.
- A short tour, then closer visits. Start planet tour visits the eight planets with a fact card. You can also walk on the Moon, Mars, Venus and Mercury, descend into Jupiter, or fly through the rings of Saturn and Uranus and the storms of Neptune.
- Share the view. Share view copies a link, Save image downloads a PNG, and Copy embed copies an iframe. Links such as
/?focus=Saturn open on that planet. The embed page has a ready-made iframe. Music and orbit glow are optional toggles, and Quality can stay on Auto.
How to use the 3D solar system
Drag to rotate the view, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click or tap a planet to focus on it. Press G to hide this guide and see the whole scene. The Speed, Scale and Quality menus are in the corner of the screen. Read the guide to exploring space online for the controls, scale modes and expeditions.
Distances, tonight’s sky and sizes
These pages run in your browser. They are separate from the 3D scene, which does not use a live ephemeris.
Frequently asked questions
What is a solar system simulator?
A solar system simulator is an interactive model of the Sun and planets that you can move through. This one is a free 3D solar system in the browser: orbit the camera, select a world, change scale and speed, follow a short tour, and open first-person expeditions. It is an artistic educational view, not a live ephemeris or a professional astronomy tool.
Is this Solar System Simulator free?
Yes. It runs online in your browser and is free. There is no download, no sign-up, no account and no plug-in. You need a current browser with WebGL, on a desktop, phone or tablet.
Can I see planet positions on a specific date?
No. The Speed control can run orbital motion faster, from one hour to one year of real periods per second, but you cannot set a calendar date. Starting positions are not taken from a live ephemeris, so this 3D view is not where the planets are tonight or on a past or future day. Separate pages, computed in your browser, estimate centre-to-centre distances, the Moon’s phase, and whether the naked-eye planets are in the evening sky, the morning sky, or lost in the Sun’s glare. Those pages are not this 3D scene, and they are not telescope-grade.
Is this 3D solar system to scale?
Not by default. Real distances are so large that the planets would be invisible dots, so sizes and distances are compressed for viewing. Open the Scale menu and choose Real distances, Real sizes or True scale to see the real proportions. The Speed menu switches motion to real orbital and rotation periods. The numbers are on the planet sizes and distances page.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. Drag with one finger to orbit, pinch to zoom and tap a planet to select it. On older devices, set Quality to Low or leave it on Auto, which lowers the detail if the frame rate drops.
Can I explore the surface of other planets?
Yes. The first-person expeditions let you walk on the Moon, Mars, Venus and Mercury, sink into Jupiter's clouds, and fly through the rings of Saturn and Uranus and the storms of Neptune.
Can I use it in a classroom or embed it on my website?
Yes. Use Share view to copy a link that opens on the planet you are looking at, or Copy embed to get an iframe snippet for a class page or blog. Links such as /?focus=Saturn open straight on a planet. The embed page has a ready-made iframe.
What does this solar system 3D simulator include?
The Sun, the eight planets, many of their moons, and the dwarf planets Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea. You can switch scale and speed, follow a guided tour, turn on music or orbit glow, save or embed the view, and open a first-person expedition. A visual asteroid belt and a Kuiper belt are part of the scene. It does not show where the planets are tonight.
Is there a solar system sandbox or gravity game?
Yes. The Gravity Sandbox is a separate free page. Click and drag to launch planets around a Sun in a 2D toy. It uses softened Newtonian gravity between point masses. It is not the real Solar System, and it is not this 3D model. There is no score and no sign-up.
Planet data: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet.
Tip: click any visible object for its radius and orbital data. Press G to show or hide this guide.