Labs / Astronomy
Solar System Orrery
Press play and the eight planets sweep around the Sun using their true relative orbital periods. Speed up the clock, click any planet to track its angle and lap count, and switch between evenly spaced and true-distance views to see just how empty the outer system really is.
Day 0 d (0.0 yr)Earth θ 0°T 365 dlaps 0.00
What to try
- How many times does Mercury circle the Sun before Earth finishes a single lap?
- Turn on true distances. Where do Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars end up compared to the giants?
- Click Neptune and let it run. Roughly how many Earth-years pass before it completes one orbit?
- Watch an inner planet catch and pass an outer one — why does that lapping keep happening?
- Pause and step forward. Which planets barely move per step, and which jump ahead?