Orbit Explorer — Interactive Solar System & Moon Viewer

Meet the neighbors. Change your perspective.

Orbit Explorer is an interactive Solar System and moon viewer with dated positions, adjustable views and comparisons between worlds. Change the time, choose visible objects and explore from a different center. Size and distance tools help distinguish a diagram that is convenient to view from the actual scale of the system.

Open Orbit Explorer ↗

Free to start in your browser. The interactive tool uses JavaScript.

Try a small experiment.

Start with the Solar System view. Check the displayed date and choose the planets or moons you want to see.
Change the camera tilt or center, then compare the same arrangement from another perspective.
Explore a moon view or size comparison. Read the scale labels before comparing apparent sizes and separations.

A couple of useful questions.

Why do the planets look different when I change the view?

Changing the camera changes the projection of the same positions. An inclined view can make a nearly circular path appear narrow, while a top view reveals a different aspect of the arrangement.

How is this different from Sky Explorer?

Orbit Explorer helps you look at the system from an external or selected-world perspective. Sky Explorer helps you investigate the sky for a location and time on Earth. They answer related questions from different viewpoints.

Know what the tool represents.

Use the displayed dates, scale choices and source notes when interpreting a view. Planet symbols, surfaces and optional diagram scales are not interchangeable with true physical dimensions or a telescope photograph.

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Guide v1.0.0 · Updated November 1, 2026. Controls can evolve; the tool’s own changelog and model notes describe its current behavior.