Simulic
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3D Solar System – The Eight Planets and Their Orbits

Integrated ScienceEarth & SpaceAges 11–12

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A rotatable 3D model of the Sun and the eight planets orbiting in the correct order with correctly scaled orbital periods. Change the speed of time and switch between a readable scale and the true scale for distances and for sizes; click a planet to see its distance from the Sun (AU), orbital period, diameter compared with Earth, planet type and number of moons. A table comparing the inner and outer planets counts how many orbits each planet has completed.

Lesson: The Solar System: the Sun, the eight planets, inner and outer planets

What it shows

The Solar System is the Sun and everything that orbits it, including eight planets. This model uses real data for each planet: average distance from the Sun in astronomical units, orbital period, diameter and number of known moons. The four inner planets are small, rocky and close together; beyond the asteroid belt the four outer planets are giants made mostly of gas and ice, far apart and slow. Switching to the true scale shows how tiny the planets are compared with the distances between them. Orbits are drawn as circles in one plane.

How to use

Drag the Speed slider and press Pause or Reset to time orbits with the Orbits completed column. Set Distances and Sizes to Readable or True scale and compare what changes. Click a planet, or a row of the table, to show its facts; Inner planets zooms in on the rocky planets and Whole system zooms out. Drag to rotate the view and scroll or pinch to zoom.

Parameters you can change

  • Speed of time 1–3650 days/s
  • Distance scale Readable (compressed), True scale
  • Size scale Readable (planets enlarged), True scale
  • Selected planet Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
  • Show orbits
  • Show names

Questions to explore

  1. While Earth completes one orbit, how many orbits do Mercury and Jupiter complete?
  2. How does a planet's orbital period change as its distance from the Sun increases?
  3. Give three differences between the inner planets and the outer planets.

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