Free · Interactive
A 3D model of the solar system.
Turn it, zoom in and run it through time: the Sun, the planets and their moons in 3D, with every planet and our Moon where it really is today. Below, the true sizes and distances, and a calculator for a scale model of your own.
What the model does
- Every planet and the Moon where they are right now, from JPL's orbital elements and the Meeus lunar theory.
- Any date from 1800 to 2200, with time running forwards or backwards.
- Spread out so every planet shows at once, or Realistic for true sizes and distances; To Scale lines them up side by side.
- The moons of every planet, Saturn's rings, the asteroid belt and comets.
- Labels and live numbers in the Science panel: phase, illumination, distance from the Sun, diameter and orbital period.
- Photo mode, to take a picture of any view for a project or a wallpaper.
Make a scale model
Choose how big the Sun is in your model. The table gives every world's size and its distance from the Sun at the same scale.
At a single scale the planets are tiny and far apart: with a 30 cm Sun, the Earth is a 2.75 mm bead 32.3 m away and Neptune is 973 m away. That is why most models use one scale for the sizes and another, much smaller, for the distances. If yours does, say so on the model.
The true sizes and distances
| World | Diameter | Distance from the Sun |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1,391,400 km | |
| Mercury | 4,879 km | 57.9 million km |
| Venus | 12,104 km | 108.2 million km |
| Earth | 12,742 km | 149.6 million km |
| Moon | 3,475 km | 384,400 km from the Earth |
| Mars | 6,779 km | 228.0 million km |
| Jupiter | 139,822 km | 778.5 million km |
| Saturn | 116,464 km | 1,432 million km |
| Uranus | 50,724 km | 2,867 million km |
| Neptune | 49,244 km | 4,515 million km |
| Pluto | 2,377 km | 5,906 million km |
Mean diameters and average distances from NASA's fact sheets. The viewer uses the same sizes.
Questions
Is there a free 3D model of the solar system?
Yes, this one. It runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or a computer, with nothing to download and no account to make.
Is the 3D model to scale?
When you want it to be. It starts spread out so that every planet is visible at once; the Realistic switch puts every world at its true size and distance, and To Scale lines the Sun and the planets up side by side at their real sizes.
Can I use it for a school project?
Yes. Take pictures of any view with Photo mode, and use the calculator above for a model you build yourself. There are also free lessons for teachers in the viewer.
Can I download the 3D model?
Not as a 3D file. The model is drawn live in the browser from the planets' orbits, so it can show any date; to keep a view, take a picture of it with Photo mode.