DISCOVERY ATLAS
One system. Countless questions.
Explore the eight planets of the Solar System in an interactive diagram. Sizes, distances and speeds are scaled for visual explanation; this is not a real-time position display.
Diagram: a coplanar, approximate, accelerated visual model. You can also select a planet using the buttons below.
ROCKY PLANET
Earth
Our reference world, where liquid water, dynamic geology and life coexist. Observations from space help us understand climate and processes at Earth’s surface.
COSMIC SCALE
Even light takes time.
Consider a distance not only in kilometres, but also in light travel time.
The duration is one-way light travel time. Actual distances change along the orbits.
NASA · Solar SystemBEYOND VISIBLE LIGHT
The same universe, different light.
Radio telescopes, Webb’s infrared observations and X-ray observatories reveal different physical processes in the same celestial object.
Learn observational astronomy