No Ground ‹ Explore
Solar system, right now
Where the planets really are today. Tap one to fly to it, zoom out for the far ones.
Drag to turn · pinch to zoom · tap to learn
About this map · swipe up
One map, from your planet to the edge of the universe
How to use it
- Turn and zoomDrag with one finger to turn. Pinch (or scroll, or the + and − buttons) to zoom out, or tap a step at the bottom to fly there.
- Tap anythingTap a planet to fly to it. Pluto, the Voyagers, stars and galaxies show how far away they are and how long their light takes to reach us.
- Travel in timeIn the first two steps, press Play to watch the planets move, or drag the bar up to a year back or ahead. Now brings you back to today.
What is real, and what is drawn
- Steps 1–3: real positionsPlanets and Pluto are where they really are on the date shown (NASA JPL orbital elements, the same as the rest of Sky+). Voyager 1 and 2 are placed from NASA’s distance figures. The nearest stars are at their measured directions and distances.
- Steps 4–6: illustrations at real distancesNo one has a photo of the Milky Way from outside, so our galaxy, the neighbor galaxies and the cosmic web are drawn. Their sizes, our place 26,000 light-years from the centre, and the distances to Andromeda, Triangulum and the Magellanic Clouds are measured values.
- Sizes are enlargedAt true scale the planets would be far too small to see. Distances between things are true; the dots and balls are made bigger.
Keep Sky+ free
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Subscribe on FacebookPlanet positions: JPL approximate orbital elements (Standish). Voyager: NASA mission figures. Star and galaxy distances: published measurements. Calculated on your phone; nothing is sent anywhere.