Time & date
Solar System Simulator
See where every planet is in its orbit today, or on any date from 1800 to 2050, with distances from the Sun and Earth and NASA fact sheet data.
Positions: JPL “Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets” (E. M. Standish), Table 1, valid 1800–2050. Physical data: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet (D. R. Williams, NSSDCA). Moon: Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms.
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Frequently asked questions
How accurate are the planet positions?
Positions come from JPL’s “Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets” by E. M. Standish, Table 1, fitted to JPL’s DE430 ephemeris for 1800–2050. Checked against JPL Horizons for 1850, 1990 and 2026, the heliocentric longitudes of Mercury, Venus and Earth were within 12 arcseconds, Mars, Uranus and Neptune within 33, Jupiter within 132 and Saturn within 613 — about a sixth of a degree at worst, far smaller than a dot on the map.
Why can I only pick dates between 1800 and 2050?
The orbital elements in Standish’s Table 1 are only fitted to that interval. Outside it the errors grow quickly, and JPL publishes a different set with extra terms for Jupiter to Neptune for 3000 BC to 3000 AD. Keeping to the fitted range means every position shown stays within the published accuracy.
What is the difference between the log and linear scales?
On the linear scale distances are true to proportion: Neptune is about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth, so with every planet on screen the inner planets crowd into the middle. The logarithmic scale compresses large distances so all eight orbits fit and stay readable, at the cost of distorting the spacing. Directions from the Sun are correct in both. Planet sizes are never to scale; at true scale they would be smaller than a pixel.
What does the tilted 3D view show?
It looks at the solar system from an angle instead of from directly above, with a little perspective, so you can see that the orbits are not quite in one plane. Mercury’s orbit is inclined 7° to Earth’s and Venus’s 3.4°, while the others are within about 2.5°. Drag across the map to turn it and use the slider to raise or lower the viewpoint.
Where do the planet facts come from?
Diameter, mass, gravity, escape velocity, length of day, orbital period, mean temperature, axial tilt and moon counts are taken from NASA’s Planetary Fact Sheet, compiled by David R. Williams at NASA’s Space Science Data Coordinated Archive and last updated in March 2025. Moon counts change as new moons are confirmed; that edition lists 95 for Jupiter and 274 for Saturn.
How is the Moon shown?
The Moon’s direction from Earth and its illuminated fraction come from the same Jean Meeus lunar algorithms used by the site’s moon phase tool, which match JPL Horizons to within a few hundredths of a degree. Its distance from Earth, about 384,000 km, would be invisible at the scale of the map, so it is drawn a fixed short distance from Earth.
About this tool
This solar system simulator shows where the eight planets actually are in their orbits on any date from 1800 to 2050. It opens on today, seen from above the north side of the ecliptic — the plane of Earth’s orbit — with the vernal equinox direction to the right, and you can scrub through time with the slider or play it forward and backward to watch the inner planets race round while Neptune barely moves.
Positions are calculated in your browser from the Keplerian elements published by JPL’s Solar System Dynamics group (E. M. Standish, “Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets”). For each date the simulator updates each planet’s semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, mean longitude, longitude of perihelion and ascending node, solves Kepler’s equation and rotates the result into the J2000 ecliptic frame. The results were checked against JPL Horizons, JPL’s high-precision ephemeris service, on three dates, and every planet was within JPL’s stated error budget.
Two scales are available because the solar system is mostly empty space. On the linear scale one astronomical unit — the mean Earth–Sun distance of 149,597,870.7 km — is the same length everywhere, which is honest but squeezes Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars into the centre; zoom levels let you focus on the inner planets or on the giants. The logarithmic scale keeps every orbit visible at once. The tilted view adds depth, showing Mercury’s 7° orbital inclination and the gentle tilts of the rest.
Select a planet for live figures — its distance from the Sun and from Earth and how long light takes to cross that gap — together with physical data from NASA’s Planetary Fact Sheet. The Moon is included too, positioned with Jean Meeus’s lunar theory. It is a handy way to see why Mars is sometimes close and sometimes on the far side of the Sun, when Venus is between us and the Sun, or how far the light from Neptune has travelled.