Last updated on 12 May 2026
Looking for something to project for your course on the solar system. Not a manual diagram, not a fixed image of NASA but a real simulator of the online solar system. Something interactive to visualise the space, which really gives the feeling of being up there and being able to explore the sky. And if possible, which does not require you to install software the night before by crossing your fingers. AstroGrid answers that.
AstroGrid, it is a 3D astronomical simulator that runs directly in the browser. No application to download. No account to create. You open the address, and you are in the space. Bluffing.
Table of Contents
A simulator of the solar system online, directly in the browser
What do you see when you open AstroGrid? Space. In 3D. With the planets in their current position, the ability to zoom from Earth level to the edges of the Milky Way, and a search engine to find a specific object, a planet, a star, a cluster.
What struck me at the outset: depth. You do not look at an image that simulates space, you move in it. Distances give vertigo in the right direction, one that makes students understand why light takes 8 minutes from the Sun.
The most useful feature in class is time acceleration. In seconds, you unfold years of orbits. The seasons, the relative positions of the planets, the movements of the Milky Way, it is this type of visualization that no manual can really reproduce. On the big screen it is bluffing. It almost feels likehear the sounds of space.
Get started in 5 minutes chrono
No tutorial, no registration. The interface is understandable on its own, but here are the essential steps to avoid groping.
Getting around : dial to zoom, click and drag to rotate the view. On the keyboard, keys 1 to 8 allow you to jump directly from Mercury to Neptune, practical in class not to search manually.
Click on a planet : a simple click selects it. A double-click sends the camera directly to it, with smooth animation. This is the most useful gesture in progress. You double-click Jupiter, you're there in two seconds.
Accelerate time : Two keys are enough to slow down or accelerate the time scrolling. In real seconds, you run months of orbits. This is where the tool takes on its full pedagogical meaning.
Change scale. Unzoom enough and exit the solar system, then the Milky Way, to the Laniakea supercluster and the confines of the observable universe. The transition is gradual and silent. Do it slowly in class once, without commenting. Effect on students guaranteed.
If you get lost : A key instantly returns to the solar system, seen from above, Sun in the center. Consider testing it before projecting the tool.
How to use AstroGrid with your students
The most obvious case: an SVT or Physics course on the Solar System. Rather than a static diagram, you show the orbits in motion, you look for Jupiter, you accelerate time. It takes 3 minutes to set up and it changes the nature of the explanation.
But this is not just for science. In geography, zooming in from space on Earth before talking about time zones or seasons works very well as a hook. In history, finding the constellations that the Greeks or Arab navigators named can open a discussion that a text would not have triggered.
And sometimes the simplest is enough: you open it at the beginning of the session, you let the students watch 30 seconds, you ask a question. The rest comes.
What I like about AstroGrid
No account to create. No installation. The interface is in the browser, students can open it on their own device if you wish. This is rare and valuable, especially when there is little time to prepare a session.
The gratuity seems total. No blocked features, no "switch to Pro" banner. To be checked in time, but for now, nothing to pay.
Navigation is intuitive. No need to explain the interface to your students for 10 minutes. Mouse, scroll, … search for a basic use it can be understood alone.
What I like less
The interface is fully in English. Buttons, object names, menus. This is not blocking, but it is to be anticipated.
While the basic functions are intuitive, the platform hides powerful and complex options and functions that are much less intuitive. There is a very comprehensive guide very useful for these advanced functions but it is also in English.
Finally, AstroGrid is based on WebGL. On older equipment or entry-level Chromebooks, slowdowns are likely. Test before, not during an important class.
A simple tool to make space more concrete
AstroGrid will not replace an astronomy course. On the other hand, it makes it possible to show simply what the diagrams often fail to make clear: distances, movements and actual scale of the solar system. A particularly effective tool for capturing attention at the beginning of the session or illustrating a phenomenon that is difficult to represent on paper.
Not totally necessary. But frankly, to test.
English