Space surrounds us.
Gravity reshapes it.

This is a fixed three-dimensional reference lattice surrounding the solar system. Its coordinates do not follow the planets. Only the displayed local deformation changes as the bodies move. Lines bend toward each body in all three directions as a visual analogy for gravity. Spacetime is geometry, not a sponge or a material medium with a preferred state of rest. This reference grid is a drawing choice; it does not pull planets mechanically and is not a numerical solution of Einstein’s equations. Deformation is evaluated from the current body positions without elastic wobble, friction, lingering wakes or invented gravitational waves. Four-dimensional spacetime cannot be fully represented by this three-dimensional scene.

Orbital distances are compressed logarithmically. Planet sizes and local lattice deformation are enlarged independently for visibility, so the drawn bends cannot be used to compare gravitational strength. The physical values below use real gravitational parameters and mean radii, independent of the drawing.

Reference body

Sun

Gravity at reference radius

Escape speed

Gravitational clock lag / day

These are isolated, spherical, nonrotating-body estimates. Gravity is GM/R²; escape speed is √(2GM/R); clock lag is measured relative to an ideal stationary clock infinitely far away using the Schwarzschild metric. Other bodies, rotation, flattening and velocity time dilation are excluded. Giant-planet reference radii describe the atmosphere, not solid ground.

Orbits use JPL’s approximate Keplerian elements and rates, with realistic relative orbital speeds, eccentricity and inclination. The model runs from 1800 to 2050, within the supported range of these approximate elements. Normal speed is 30 simulated days per second; The speed slider runs from 0.1× to 100× and changes every planet’s speed equally, preserving their relative orbital periods. At 100×, Neptune completes an orbit in about 20 seconds. Replay starts the same interval again. It is not a full N-body or relativistic ephemeris. Earth’s path uses the Earth–Moon barycenter. Tap or click a body to follow it while it orbits. Close-up framing changes only the camera, not the reference grid. Body axes use fixed J2000 pole directions from NASA’s fact sheets, so camera movement reveals different latitudes. Saturn’s rings remain in its equatorial plane. Surface spin uses a separate illustrative clock (one display day per minute), with nominal relative periods and retrograde directions; it is not tied to the fast orbital clock or an exact prime-meridian epoch. Precession, nutation and differential rotation are omitted. Pause stops orbits and surface spin; the camera remains interactive.

Planet maps by Solar System Scope, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Maps are resized for the web; shading, cloud blending and rings are illustrative. Some original map gaps are reconstructed. The visual deformation remains exaggerated rather than a literal coordinate model of spacetime.

Sources: Stanford: spacetime and the limits of fabric analogies, NASA/JPL orbits, physical constants, planetary properties. Keyboard: arrows rotate, +/− zoom, Space pauses, Home restores the view. Reduced motion starts paused.