About Planet Viewer

A field guide to the solar system, built in three dimensions.

Why this exists

Most solar system diagrams online are either childish cartoons or dense tables of numbers nobody asked for. Planet Viewer is an attempt at something in between: real astronomical data, rendered as an interactive 3D model you can rotate, paired with plain-language notes about what actually makes each world strange.

How it's built

Every planet, moon, and dwarf planet in the catalog runs on WebGL through Three.js — no plugins, no downloads. Your own browser renders the sphere, applies the surface texture, and handles lighting directly on your device. Radius, mass, distance, and rotation figures are drawn from public astronomical datasets maintained by NASA and the IAU.

How it's funded

Planet Viewer is free to use, with no account required. It's supported by a small number of ad placements served through Google AdSense — see the Privacy Policy for details on how those ads work.

Get in touch

Spotted an inaccurate figure or a broken model? Feedback is welcome — reach out via the site's GitHub repository or hosting platform contact if you have access to it.