Orbital order
See the eight planets in their correct order from the Sun, with simplified motion for teaching.
STEM demo · education site · static HTML/CSS/JS
Explore the Solar System like a mission scientist.
A polished, live-ready demo concept for an interactive education website: orbital order, planet data, dwarf planets, scale modelling, quick comparisons and a classroom-friendly quiz.
- Planets
- 8
- Official dwarf planets
- 5
- Main star
- The Sun
- Teaching mode
- Interactive
Learning objectives
What this demo teaches
The page is deliberately built as an educational product demo rather than a flat article. Visitors learn by changing controls, comparing data and testing themselves.
Planet families
Separate rocky terrestrial planets, gas giants and ice giants without overloading the visitor.
Scale shock
Use an Earth-size slider to expose how absurdly large space is, even in a small model.
Evidence habits
Source notes show which facts come from NASA, JPL Solar System Dynamics and the IAU.
Orbit lab
Animated Solar System classroom
Use the display modes to show why teachers rarely draw the Solar System to true scale. The animation shows orbital order and relative rhythm, not real-time ephemerides.
Educational scale model, not live astronomical positions.
Click a planet on the canvas or select a card below.
Planet explorer
Find, filter and select a world
Search by name, family, nickname or feature. Planet cards feed the orbit lab, comparison tool and scale model.
Compare lab
Two planets, brutally different numbers
Pick any two planets and compare diameter, mass, gravity, year length and rotation period. Bars are scaled to the larger selected value.
Scale model builder
Shrink Earth, then watch the distances get silly
Choose the size of model Earth. The calculator scales the Sun, the selected planet and orbital distance from the Sun using the same ratio.
Scaled Sun diameter
—On this scale, the Sun is no longer a neat little yellow circle in the corner.
Selected planet
—Select a planet to update this comparison.
Orbital distance
—Distance from the Sun at average orbital distance.
| Planet | Model diameter | Model distance from Sun | Real average distance |
|---|
Dwarf planet dock
Pluto is not gone, just reclassified
The IAU officially recognises five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake and Eris. This section keeps them visible without confusing “planet” and “dwarf planet”.
IAU classification since 2006
Mission timeline
A simple story arc for learners
A compact timeline helps the site feel like a guided educational experience rather than a data dump.
-
4.6bn years ago
Solar System forms
The Sun forms at the centre, with planets and smaller bodies forming from leftover material in a disk.
-
2006
Planet definition clarified
The IAU formalises the Solar System planet definition and Pluto becomes a dwarf planet.
-
Today
Discovery continues
Moons, small bodies and distant worlds are still studied and catalogued as instruments improve.
Knowledge check
Quick mission quiz
Five short questions, immediate feedback, no boring worksheet energy.
Teacher and demo notes
How to present this page
Best demo route
Start with the orbit lab, switch to AU distance ratio, then use the scale model with Earth at 2 cm. That creates the “oh wow” moment quickly.
Accuracy caveat
The orbit animation is not a live ephemeris. It simplifies positions and sizes to teach order, relative rhythm and scale concepts.
Next upgrade options
Add NASA imagery with attribution, a missions section, teacher worksheets, translated versions, or a WebGL/Three.js 3D mode.
Sources and trust notes
Built with official-source discipline
Numbers in educational sites can drift. This demo keeps a visible source trail and avoids pretending the simplified animation is a live astronomical model.
NASA Solar System overview
Used for the eight planets, five official dwarf planets and broad Solar System summary language.
science.nasa.gov/solar-systemNASA planet guide
Used for planet order, planet-family language and public-facing explanation style.
science.nasa.gov/solar-system/planetsJPL Solar System Dynamics
Used as the preferred source for physical and orbital parameter checks.
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/phys_par.htmlIAU planet definition
Used for planet/dwarf planet classification and Pluto wording.
iau.org FAQs