Solar System Explorer
An interactive 3D solar system that kids can touch, explore, and learn from.
About
Solar System Explorer is a 3D interactive experience built for kids ages 4-8. Drag to orbit, pinch to zoom, and tap any planet or moon to discover fun facts. A time slider lets you speed up or slow down the orbits, and a spacecraft mode lets you fly between worlds.
All 9 planets, 12 named moons, an asteroid belt, and 2 comets are explorable — 22 celestial bodies in total. A discovery tracker keeps count of how many you've visited.
Features
- Touch-friendly 3D controls (drag, pinch zoom, tap to select)
- Age-appropriate fact cards for every planet and moon
- Adjustable time speed (0.1x to 20x)
- Spacecraft fly-between-planets mode
- Ambient space audio and per-planet sounds
- Discovery tracker (22 worlds to explore)
- Size comparison mode
Built With
React, Three.js (React Three Fiber), Zustand, Tailwind CSS, Vite.
What came next
This browser experiment became the starting point for something bigger. Watching kids actually use it, I realized the idea needed a proper home. Touch controls on an iPad. Real 3D rendering. More ways to play beyond just exploring.
That's how Planetia happened. It took the core idea and expanded it into six modes: explore, compare, quiz, customize, what-if experiments, and building your own solar systems from scratch. It's a free iPad app built with SwiftUI and RealityKit.
Built with AI as a portfolio experiment.