Orrery
The solar system in real time. Travel through time, change the speed, switch to true scale and compare any two worlds.
ESO/S. Guisard (www.eso.org/~sguisard) (CC BY 4.0)
Orrery
The solar system, right now. Every planet is where it really is today, worked out from NASA JPL's formulas. Press play and time speeds up, so you can watch the planets go round the Sun: the closer a planet is to the Sun, the faster it travels. Tap any world to fly to it and see it turn.
Try this
Readable scale: the planets are drawn far bigger than they really are and the distances are squeezed, so every planet fits on one screen. Switch to true scale to see the real emptiness of space.
How to use it
- Look around
- Drag to turn the view. Scroll, pinch or use the + and - keys to zoom.
- Pick a world
- Tap or click a planet to fly to it and follow it. You will see how far it is from the Sun and from Earth, and how fast it turns. The arrow keys step from planet to planet; Escape or the button at the top goes back to the whole system.
- Time
- Play runs time forward at the chosen speed. Pick any date, or step with the arrows next to it. Now brings you back to today.
- Scale
- Space is so big that no screen can show both the planets and the distances between them at true scale. Readable scale enlarges the planets and squeezes the distances; true scale shows both as they really are.
Compare two worlds
| Earth | Mars |
|---|
Data table (text alternative)
| World | Distance from the Sun now | Light-travel time from the Sun | Ecliptic longitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 0.3095 au | 2 min 34 sec | 93.1° |
| Venus | 0.7216 au | 6 min 0 sec | 61.9° |
| Earth | 0.9898 au | 8 min 14 sec | 50.1° |
| Mars | 1.607 au | 13 min 22 sec | 106° |
| Jupiter | 5.318 au | 44 min 14 sec | 135° |
| Saturn | 9.422 au | 1 hr 18 min | 12.3° |
| Uranus | 19.43 au | 2 hr 42 min | 63.1° |
| Neptune | 29.88 au | 4 hr 8 min | 2.9° |
Planet positions use JPL's approximate formulas, accurate to about a few arcminutes between 3000 BC and 3000 AD.
Tools and lessons use simplified models for learning only. They must not be used for navigation, mission planning or any operational decision. Certificates are free and non-accredited. Read the educational content disclaimer