EXPLORE / SPACETIME
Space surrounds us.
Gravity reshapes it.
Turn the solar system in your hands. See the fabric bend around the Sun and every planet.
Inside the fabric of space.
An illustrated 3D lattice, with bending and sizes exaggerated to make gravity visible.
Surrounded by space.
The fabric extends in every direction. Turn the view to see it above, below and all around the solar system. Choose a planet to move closer.
The science behind the view
This is a three-dimensional spatial lattice surrounding the solar system. Its lines bend toward each body in all three directions as a visual analogy for gravity. The lattice is not material, does not pull planets mechanically, and is not a numerical solution of Einstein’s equations. 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. Close-ups follow a planet and normalize the display scale. The physical values below use real gravitational parameters and mean radii, independent of the drawing.
- Selected 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 starts at J2000 and runs at 30 simulated days per second, stopping at 2050. It is not a full N-body or relativistic ephemeris. Earth’s path uses the Earth–Moon barycenter. Pause stops all orbital motion; 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: NASA/JPL orbits, physical constants, planetary properties. Keyboard: arrows rotate, +/− zoom, Space pauses, Home restores the view. Reduced motion starts paused.