Menu
Loading...
View the body list and guide
Back to the solar system

3D Solar System Learning Guide

Dwarf Planets, Asteroids & Comets | Interactive 3D Guide

Explore 25 dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and trans-Neptunian objects in 3D. Learn their names, orbits, shapes, observation images, and detailed facts.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Play the Game

How to use this 3D guide

  1. Match bodies with their namesToggle the name labels in the upper left to connect each visible body with its name.
  2. Change the view and perspectiveDrag and zoom through space, then switch among Game, Comparison, and True Scale views.
  3. Study images and factsSelect a study target to view its observation image, identifying features, and available physical and orbital facts. In moon learning, the Sun and planets provide navigation and positional context; only moons open details.

Celestial bodies in this 3D guide (25)

Review each body’s name, observation image, position, and key identifying features. Select a body in the 3D view above for its full details.

Dwarf planets

  • Observation image of Ceres

    Ceres

    Mean diameter: 939 km

    The largest body in the asteroid belt, with bright deposits seen by Dawn.

  • Observation image of Pluto

    Pluto

    The best-known dwarf planet, marked by a bright heart-shaped plain.

  • Observation image of Haumea

    Haumea

    A rapidly rotating dwarf planet stretched into an elongated shape.

  • Observation image of Makemake

    Makemake

    A methane-ice-rich dwarf planet smaller than Pluto.

  • Observation image of Eris

    Eris

    A Pluto-sized dwarf planet traveling on a very distant orbit.

Asteroids

  • Observation image of Pallas

    Pallas

    Mean diameter: 513 km

    A large main-belt asteroid with a strongly inclined orbit.

  • Observation image of Vesta

    Vesta

    Mean diameter: 523 km

    A large asteroid visited by Dawn, with an enormous south-polar basin.

  • Observation image of Hygiea

    Hygiea

    Mean diameter: 407 km

    A large, dark, nearly spherical main-belt asteroid.

  • Observation image of Eros

    Eros

    Mean diameter: 16.8 km

    An elongated asteroid orbited and landed on by NEAR Shoemaker.

  • Observation image of Gaspra

    Gaspra

    Mean diameter: 12.2 km

    The first asteroid imaged up close by a spacecraft, irregular and cratered.

  • Observation image of Ida

    Ida

    Mean diameter: 32 km

    An elongated asteroid accompanied by the tiny moon Dactyl.

  • Observation image of Mathilde

    Mathilde

    Mean diameter: 52.8 km

    An extremely dark asteroid with craters nearly as large as the body itself.

  • Observation image of Itokawa

    Itokawa

    Mean diameter: 0.33 km

    The sea-otter-shaped asteroid sampled by Hayabusa.

  • Observation image of Bennu

    Bennu

    Mean diameter: 0.48 km

    The spinning-top-shaped asteroid sampled by OSIRIS-REx.

  • Observation image of Ryugu

    Ryugu

    Mean diameter: 0.9 km

    The diamond-shaped asteroid sampled by Hayabusa2.

  • Observation image of Didymos

    Didymos

    Mean diameter: 0.78 km

    The primary of the binary asteroid system targeted by DART.

  • Observation image of Toutatis

    Toutatis

    Mean diameter: 5.4 km

    A near-Earth asteroid whose radar shape resembles two joined lobes.

Comets

  • Observation image of Halley's Comet

    Halley's Comet

    Mean diameter: 11 km

    The most famous periodic comet, returning roughly every 76 years.

  • Observation image of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

    67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

    Mean diameter: 3.4 km

    The duck-shaped, two-lobed comet orbited by Rosetta.

  • Observation image of 9P/Tempel 1

    9P/Tempel 1

    Mean diameter: 6 km

    The comet struck by the Deep Impact mission's impactor.

  • Observation image of 81P/Wild 2

    81P/Wild 2

    Mean diameter: 4 km

    The comet whose dust was returned to Earth by Stardust.

  • Observation image of 19P/Borrelly

    19P/Borrelly

    Mean diameter: 4.8 km

    A comet with an elongated nucleus imaged by Deep Space 1.

  • Observation image of 103P/Hartley 2

    103P/Hartley 2

    Mean diameter: 1.6 km

    A small peanut-shaped comet imaged by EPOXI.

Trans-Neptunian objects

  • Observation image of Arrokoth

    Arrokoth

    A contact-binary Kuiper Belt object imaged by New Horizons.

Centaurs

  • Observation image of Chiron

    Chiron

    Mean diameter: 166 km

    A centaur between Saturn and Uranus showing both asteroid and comet traits.

Three display views

Switch views to study surface appearance, spatial relationships, and real scale as separate kinds of information.

Game View

The standard view adjusts body sizes and orbit spacing nonlinearly. Broad size and orbit order are retained where possible, but the ratios are not to scale.

Comparison View

Relevant bodies share the same apparent size and evenly spaced circular orbits, making surfaces easier to compare. This view does not teach size, distance, eccentricity, or orbit orientation.

True Scale View

Real size and distance ratios among the included bodies are preserved. Position markers are screen-space controls for selecting tiny bodies, not physical objects or body sizes. Select a marker to travel to that body.

Where the display differs from real scale

These notes explain the size, distance, speed, position, and surface adjustments made for readability and control. Game and Comparison Views are observation aids, not scale models or high-precision real-time ephemerides.

Passage of time

The simulation starts from an approximate position for the current date. In Solar System Mode, planets move at 1 real second per 30 days, so playback after the start is not a live view of the current Solar System. In Planetary System Mode, each planet uses a speed at which its innermost included moon completes an orbit in about 15 seconds. Other moons retain their real orbital-period ratios, so distant moons may appear almost still. True Scale View, Information, and body details pause celestial motion.

Rotation

Rotation direction follows public data. Displayed rotation speed is adjusted separately from orbital time and does not reproduce the real time ratio. Bodies without rotation-period data rotate at a fixed observation speed so their surfaces and shapes remain visible. In Planetary System Mode, the planet rotates once every 12 to 20 seconds.

Positions and orbits

Initial positions and elliptical orbit shapes, inclinations, and orientations are approximated from public orbital elements. Game View compresses planet distances nonlinearly. Planetary System Mode also compresses moon distances and separates close orbits while retaining their order and broad shapes. Some systems receive a shared starting-angle adjustment to avoid the interface. The dwarf-planet and small-body game compresses its wide orbital range logarithmically and caps the displayed eccentricity of extremely elongated orbits in Game View for readability and control. This is an educational visualization, not a high-precision real-time ephemeris.

Three display views

Game View adjusts body sizes and orbit spacing nonlinearly. Within each planetary system, the largest included moon uses about one-third of the parent planet as its base size; the others retain their real size order while the differences are compressed. Dwarf planets and small bodies also retain their real size order while differences are compressed; tiny bodies receive a minimum display size and additional enlargement on small screens. Comparison View gives relevant bodies equal apparent sizes and evenly spaced circular orbits. True Scale View preserves real size and distance ratios among included bodies. Position markers are selection controls, not physical sizes.

Surface appearance

Textures are processed from observation images and scientific visualizations for 3D display. When global coverage is unavailable, unobserved areas use a neutral fill or simplified representation and are not claimed as observed terrain. The five major Uranian moon maps are turned north-to-south so mapped terrain faces the default camera. Colors are not guaranteed to be natural color, and some light and dark areas come from 3D illumination.

Ready to test your knowledge?

Play the Game