Solar System Now
Live planet positions computed right in your browser, plus which planets you can actually go outside and find tonight from wherever you are.
No account neededFree & open
Everything ISSC makes is free to use.
No login. No paywall. No ads. No trial that runs out. Every tool and program on this site is free for teachers, schools, universities, researchers, and anyone else who wants to learn or teach with them.
Free for
Teachers
Schools
Universities
Researchers
Students
Clubs & societies
Museums & planetariums
Science communicators
Homeschoolers
Anyone at all
What "free" actually means here
Not a free trial, not a limited tier, not free-if-you-give-us-your-email. Genuinely free, for good.
Free, and staying that way
The interactive tools need no account and cost nothing. There is no paid tier, and there never has been.
Made for the classroom
Project them on a screen, share the link, or build a whole lesson around them. You do not need to ask us first.
Built on open data
Positions and catalogs come from public sources: NASA, JPL, and the NASA Exoplanet Archive, each credited on the tool that uses it.
No ads, no tracking wall
We do not run ads or sell data. The tools that use your location keep it in your browser. See our privacy policy.
The tools, all free
Open any of these right now in a browser, on a phone, tablet, or classroom projector. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Exoplanet Explorer
Every confirmed exoplanet from NASA's Exoplanet Archive, filterable and sortable, each one measured side by side against Earth. Export any selection to CSV.
No account neededCosmic Calendar
The 13.8-billion-year history of the universe compressed into one calendar year, scrub through it yourself, then explore real theories about how it all ends.
No account neededISSC Highlights
A biweekly feature of real community projects: astrophotography, satellite reception, homemade builds, and research from members around the world.
Free to browseFree to join, too
Membership is free and open to anyone, anywhere. Members can put questions to real space and science professionals through Ask an Expert, take part in the Discord community, and have their work featured in Highlights. Members in Sweden are also registered with Astronomisk Ungdom and get access to its events and camps, still at no cost.
Using ISSC in your classroom or research
You are welcome to use these tools in lessons, assignments, planetarium sessions, science fairs, outreach events, and research, at any level from primary school to university. Screenshot them, share them, or point a whole class at them at once.
A credit or a link back ("Tools by ISSC, issc.space") is appreciated but not required. If you would like a hand fitting a tool into a lesson, need a particular dataset, or have any question at all, reach out in the ISSC Discord. We are a small volunteer community, and we are always glad to help.
Why it is free
Let's make space and science accessible, creative, and open for all.
Free and open is not a promotion we are running. It is the whole reason ISSC exists.