3D Space Simulators — Free in Your Browser
Hoshizora Dome is a free web planetarium. Besides the 3D night sky, it has a set of 3D simulators you can spin and zoom on a phone or a computer: eclipses, meteor showers, constellations in true 3D, the Moon and Mars, the sky on Mars and our galaxy. No app, no account.
Before you start
- The controls are the same everywhere: drag (or swipe) to rotate, pinch or use the mouse wheel to zoom.
- English mode: the "Open" buttons below start each simulator in English — buttons, place descriptions and the three-step guide. Without
?lang=enin the address, the pages open in Japanese. - Share what you see: the round share button copies a link that opens the same view.
Looking for the planets? Solar System 3D has a full English version. For the night sky itself, open the 3D web planetarium in English mode.
Lunar & Solar Eclipse 3D
Watch the Moon slide into Earth's shadow and turn copper red, or the Sun disappear behind the Moon — shown as it really looks from a city in Japan, at the true direction and height in the sky, with the landscape and compass points. You can also view the alignment from space, and see Earth glowing red from the Moon.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 重なるようす | Close-up of the Moon entering the shadow |
| 宇宙から | View from space (Sun–Earth–Moon line-up) |
| 地球から月を見る | The Moon as seen from the ground |
| 月から地球を見る | Earth seen from the Moon |
| 地上から太陽を見る | Solar eclipse as seen from the ground |
| 景色 | Wide view with the horizon |
Pick an eclipse and a city in the menus at the top. Press ▶ or drag the slider to change the time. Upcoming events include the total lunar eclipse of 31 December 2028 and the total solar eclipse of 2 September 2035 in central Japan.
Open Lunar & Solar Eclipse 3D →
Solar Eclipse 3D
Preview the solar eclipses coming to Japan: the annular "ring of fire" eclipse in Hokkaido on 1 June 2030 and the total solar eclipse in central Japan on 2 September 2035. Pick a city to see the Sun being covered at its true direction and height, with the sky darkening, stars appearing and the corona at totality — or watch the Moon's shadow sweep across Earth from space.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 地上から太陽を見る | The eclipse as seen from the ground |
| 宇宙から（月の影） | View from space (the Moon's shadow on Earth) |
| 景色 | Wide view with the landscape |
| （皆既）（金環） | Cities where the eclipse is total / annular |
Pick an eclipse and a city in the menus at the top. Totality is visible from Nagano, Utsunomiya and Mito in 2035; Sapporo sees the annular phase in 2030. Never look at the real Sun without certified eclipse glasses.
Meteor Showers 3D
See why meteor showers come back on the same nights every year: Earth crosses the trail of dust left by a comet or asteroid. Choose the Perseids, Geminids, Leonids and more, and watch Earth pass through the stream.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| おまかせ解説 | Guided tour (automatic) |
| 真上から | Top view of the Solar System |
| 横から | Side view |
| 地球のそば | Close to Earth |
The buttons at the top list the showers, nearest peak first. The guided tour explains everything step by step.
Constellations 3D
Constellations look flat in the sky, but their stars lie at very different distances. Turn Orion sideways to see that its stars are anywhere from tens to well over a thousand light years away, or fly towards Betelgeuse.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 地球から見る | As seen from Earth |
| 横から見る | Side view (true distances) |
| 星の旅 | Fly to a star |
| おまかせ解説 | Guided tour |
Choose a constellation from the menu at the top (Orion is オリオン座, the Big Dipper is in おおぐま座).
The Moon in 3D
Spin a 3D Moon made from NASA data. Tap the names of seas, craters and the Apollo landing sites; "今日の月" turns the Moon to the side we see from Earth tonight, and "裏側" shows the far side.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 今日の月 | Tonight's Moon |
| 表側 | Near side |
| 裏側 | Far side |
| 着陸地点 | Landing sites |
Mars in 3D
A 3D Mars with Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris and the landing sites of the rovers. Tap a name to read about it.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 今日の火星 | Mars as seen from Earth today |
| タルシス | Tharsis volcanoes |
| マリネリス | Valles Marineris |
| 着陸地点 | Landing sites |
The Sky from Mars
Stand in Jezero Crater, where NASA's Perseverance rover is exploring. The Martian sunset is blue, Earth shines as a bright evening or morning "star", and the little moon Phobos rises in the west.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 昼 | Day |
| 夕焼け | Sunset |
| 夜 | Night |
| 地球をさがす | Find Earth |
| フォボス | Phobos |
Moon Jump
Walk on the Moon and jump in one-sixth of Earth's gravity. Compare with a jump under Earth's gravity, and look up at Earth hanging in the lunar sky.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| ジャンプ | Jump |
| 地球を見上げる | Look up at Earth |
| 地球の重力でくらべる | Compare with Earth's gravity |
On a computer use WASD or the arrow keys to walk and Space to jump; on a phone use the joystick at the bottom left.
Milky Way 3D
View our galaxy from outside: the spiral arms, where the Solar System sits, and famous nebulae and clusters at their real distances — out to the Andromeda Galaxy.
| Button (Japanese mode) | What it does |
|---|---|
| 真上から | Face-on view |
| 真横から | Edge-on view |
| 太陽系から見る | As seen from the Solar System |
| ご近所の銀河 | Our galactic neighbours |
Frequently asked questions
Are these simulators free?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing to install.
How accurate are they?
Eclipse times, the Moon's position and planet positions are calculated from astronomical formulas. Star distances come from the HYG star catalogue (Hipparcos data). In the eclipse and meteor views, distances between Earth and the Moon or the size of dust trails are compressed so that everything fits on screen; this is noted on each page.
Can I use them in class?
Yes, you are welcome to project them in a classroom. Every simulator works on Chromebooks, iPads and Windows laptops.