Interactive maps · Jacob Thompson

Universe at Scale

Four maps, from the moons of the giant planets out to the edge of the observable universe. Objects sit where real measurements put them. Pick a map, then drag, zoom and click anything to learn about it.

Callisto's orbit  1.88 million km
Neptune from the Sun  4.5 billion km
Proxima Centauri  4.24 light-years
Galactic centre  27,000 light-years
Observable universe  46.5 billion ly
Plate IPlanetary · top-down

The Giant Planets' Moon Systems

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune seen from above, with rings and moons to scale and moving live. Includes a painted view of Jupiter hanging in Io's sky.

  • Planets  Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune
  • Galilean moons  at today's real positions
Open map →
Plate IIPlanetary · 3D

Giant Planets in 3D

The same four systems, now in three dimensions you can tilt and spin all the way round, with the Milky Way stretched across each planet's sky.

  • Uranus's tilt  97.8°, rolling on its side
  • Triton  orbits backwards
Open map →
Plate IIISolar system · 3D

The Solar System

The Sun, all eight planets and the five dwarf planets in one true-to-scale space, at their real positions today from NASA JPL orbital data. Zoom from the whole system down to a single moon.

  • Neptune's orbit  165 years, 30 AU out
  • Sunlight to Neptune  just over 4 hours
Open map →
Plate IVGalactic to cosmic · 3D

The Milky Way in 3D

Thousands of real stars placed by their measured parallax, then out through the Local Group and the great cosmic voids to the edge of everything we can see.

  • Stars  9,407 from Gaia DR3 & Hipparcos
  • Sun to centre  8.275 kpc (GRAVITY 2021)
Open map →