Real-time exploration of the solar system
Observe, explore and navigate the solar system freely.
Composition of the solar system
The solar system is the planetary system of the sun, it is composed of 8 planets that orbit it with their moons.
Four of these planets (Mercury, Venus, the Earth and Mars) are telluric (rocky) and the other four (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are gaseous.
The sun alone contains 99.85% of the total mass of the solar system and dominates it gravitationally.
Between Mars and Jupiter, there is the asteroid belt (the main belt) composed of billions of asteroids not aggregated into planets. Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper belt which, like the asteroid belt, is composed of remnants of the solar system's formation.
The Sun: a giant star
The Sun is a star located at the center of the solar system, it exerts a force of gravity that keeps the planets in their orbits. The Sun is also our main source of light and heat, without which life on Earth would not be possible.
Position of the planets in the solar system in real time
The planets gravitate around the Sun in the same direction as its rotation, which is counterclockwise from above the north pole.
Click on a planet to observe its position in real time or visit our page ephemeris
You can also move forward or backward in time (-3 years in the past and +3 years in the future) and measure the distance between two planets. For this, use the arrows and commands placed on the dashboard.
Heliocentric planetary positions
| Planet | Longitude (radians) | Latitude (radians) | Distance (AU) | Observe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 2.979498738380319 | 0.10376052450026578 | 0.37428455181500475 | |
| Venus | 5.326358951408592 | -0.04423287490716586 | 0.72819877912832 | |
| Earth | 5.897326326780921 | -0.0000027884432438117673 | 1.0094635508625396 | |
| Mars | 1.2212254157366533 | 0.011152445656821072 | 1.5190037712606277 | |
| Jupiter | 2.252281020063835 | 0.010781288544636114 | 5.296867135810314 | |
| Saturn | 0.17673254684272477 | -0.04214056323666949 | 9.444025753637302 | |
| Uranus | 1.0938754422140913 | -0.0026824767598993397 | 19.446858819359292 | |
| Neptune | 0.049485482558970784 | -0.023895247625655366 | 29.878729311270938 |
The coordinates are given in the barycentric heliocentric reference frame, expressed in astronomical units (AU).
Inclination, rotation and revolution of the planets
In addition to revolving around the Sun, the planets also rotate on themselves. They rotate for the most part in the same direction as around the Sun except for some like Venus which turns in the opposite direction of its revolution.
Observe the real-time rotation of the Earth in our exploration and visualize which areas are illuminated by the Sun and which areas are in the night.
Or access the unique planet animations:
The other bodies of the solar system
The solar system does not consist only of planets. There are also other objects that revolve around the Sun. Among them, we find natural satellites, like the Moon, which accompany certain planets by orbiting around them.
We can also observe many asteroids, which are small rocky blocks; the majority of them are in a region called the asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter.
Further still, beyond the planet Neptune, lies a distant and icy region called the Kuiper belt.
This area contains dwarf planets like Pluto, as well as countless small objects made of ice, rock or both. It's a bit like a second belt, but much larger and more distant than that of the asteroids.
These different zones show that the solar system is much larger and more complex than we imagines: from distant small icy bodies to enormous gaseous planets, everything revolves around the Sun.
Beyond the solar system
Beyond the Solar System are many celestial objects that are not gravitationally bound to the Sun.
This category includes other stars, planetary systems, nebulae, star clusters, galaxies and quasars.
These objects are very far from the Earth and often low in brightness.
Observation equipment
Observing the solar system is a fascinating experience that allows you to discover the planets, their moons, the Sun as well as various small celestial bodies that orbit our star.
To take full advantage of these observations and distinguish more details on the surface of the Moon, planets or Sun, it is important to choose an astronomy equipment adapted to the object you wish to observe.
