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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Orbits.js – WebGL simulation of the solar system using Three.js

WebGL simulation of the solar system. Contribute to olane/orbits.js development by creating an account on GitHub.

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 2 we have checked on their own sites, 2 of them free or with a free tier. Orbits.js – WebGL simulation of the solar system using Three.js launched in 2014; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    Gravity WebGL experiment in the Solar System

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2
    Atlas of Spacefree▲770

    Hello HN! Sharing a recent side project of mine, the Atlas of Space, that I built out to explore the Solar System. As a long-time space nerd, I realized recently that I didn't have a good intuition on the scale, speed, and relative orientation of the celestial bodies around us. So over the break I built out a kind of spatial Wikipedia to click around and learn about planets, moons, asteroids, and other bodies orbiting the Sun. The physics is all simulated in the browser using simple Newtonian mechanics. There's a lot left to do from here, including modeling objects in non-Keplerian orbits…

    2025 · atlasof.space · its alternatives →

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  4. 4

    Features include: - Several preset periodic orbits: the classic Figure-8, plus newly discovered 3D solutions from Li and Liao's recent database of 10,000+ orbits (https://arxiv.org/html/2508.08568v1) - Full 3D camera controls (rotate/pan/zoom) with body-following mode - Force and velocity vector visualization - Timeline scrubbing to explore the full orbital period The 3D presets are particularly interesting. Try "O₂(1.2)" or "Piano O₆(0.6)" from the Load Presets menu to see configurations where bodies weave in and out of the orbital plane. Most browser…

    Nov 2025 · trisolarchaos.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5WP

    This was my recent weekend project, aimed at teaching me JavaScript, a bit of HTML5, and (mostly) WebGL. The orbital data are from NASA JPL. I was inspired in part by this Flash app: http://www.dynamicdiagrams.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/orrery_2011_bce.swf, but wanted to do something in 3D. Coming from the games-dev world, this is my first introduction to web coding. The UI is jquery. I mostly used http://learningwebgl.com/blog for the 3D stuff. Being WebGL, it will work mostly on Chrome, Firefox 4 Beta. Forget about IE. I needed to figure out how to render text to the WebGL canvas - I…

    2011 · solar-system-explorer.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6GI

    Just for fun and self education, I've built this over a weekend to teach myself why orbits exist, not just show planets going around. Something that was never clearly explain to me in school. It opens with a guided tour that builds the idea up step by step: two bodies and the equal/opposite force, inertia (the Sun is removed and Earth just drifts straight), then "an orbit is falling and continuously missing," cosmic velocities with a little rocket, Voyager 1 & 2's real gravity assists (the clock runs the actual 1977–1989 dates so the planets orbit into their grand-tour alignment and the…

    Jun 2026 · qunabu.github.io · its alternatives →

  7. 7OS
  8. 8

    Many JS libraries exist to build graphs on the web (Vega, chartJS, Plotly...). They allow to make charts quickly. But you lose flexibility: you're limited by the options they offer. I just created a gallery with hundreds of graphs made with d3.js and React. - Examples are split by graph types - They all come with explanation and code sandboxes - Gradual complexity to ease the learning curve It took me ages to create this project! Feedback welcome!

    2023 · react-graph-gallery.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9
    AstraPixelsfree tier, from $5/mo▲267

    ​​A pixel-art solar system at its real current positions.​

    Aug 2026 · astrapixels.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    An interactive data visualisation about Exoplanets by TK Vishal

    2019 · exoplanetexplore.now.sh · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    A gravity simulator, with updated movement controls

    2016 · valentinvichnal.github.io · its alternatives →

  12. 12IM

    I made this site using R3F (https://github.com/pmndrs/react-three-fiber), a React renderer for 3JS (https://threejs.org/). The celestial bodies are Three.JS meshes. I used loaders (namely 'useLoader' from R3F and 'GLTFLoader' from 3JS) to import 3D models, such as International Space Station. More on loading models in R3F: https://docs.pmnd.rs/react-three-fiber/tutorials/loading-mod... I've future plans for this side project. It would be great to hear from the HN community before diving into them. Enjoy! P.S: Getting an empty…

    2022 · spaceinbrowser.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13IB
  14. 14IB
  15. 15

    Modern WebGL engine based on Three.js technology

    2016 · whitestormjs.xyz · its alternatives →

  16. 16
    Gio.js▲77

    3D globe info visualization library built with Three.js

    2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17HO

    3D gravity and space Simulator. Explore and play around with the force of gravity in the context of an array of scenarios from our solar system and beyond. You can add planets, delete the Sun, change the value of the gravitational constant or simply lean back and enjoy the dazzling beauty of the pen

    2018 · thehappykoala.github.io · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    A tediously accurate scale model of the solar system

    2014 · joshworth.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    🎃 Windowless WebGL for node.js. Contribute to stackgl/headless-gl development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    :rocket: 🌪 Super-fast 3D framework for Web Applications 🥇 & Games 🎮. Based on Three.js - WhitestormJS/whs.js

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Walk in the cosmos

    2021 · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    Build interactive globe visualizations with ease 🌎

    2019 · react-globe.netlify.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    The best course to learn how to create stunning 3D websites

    2021 · threejs-journey.xyz · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    A fork of Solar System Live that generates animated videos showing planetary orbits over any date range. Tracks orbital statistics (how many times Earth was lapped by Mercury/Venus, or lapped outer planets) and overlays dates/ages on each frame. Example: Einstein's lifetime (1879-1955) showing 76 years of solar system evolution. Built with Python + Pillow + ffmpeg, runs locally with Lighttpd. https://github.com/simondorfman/solar_system_live

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →