NASA has released a massive update to its “Eyes on the Solar System” visualization tool.
“More than two years in the making, the update offers better controls, improved navigation and tons of new opportunities to get to know our incredible corner of the cosmos, without the need for a space suit,” the agency says. “All you need is a device with an internet connection.”
NASA says the browser-based visualization tool allows users to “rotate objects, compare them side-by-side, and even modulate perspective and lighting,” in addition to exploring interactive simulations of missions carried out by Voyager, Perseverance and other spacecraft.
Eyes on the Solar System can be used to “follow the paths of spacecraft and celestial bodies from 1949 and into the future to 2049,” the agency says, with a variety of options related to how it’s observed the subject. and on what time scale the simulation operates.
“The beauty of the new browser-based ‘Eyes on the Solar System’ is that it really invites exploration,” Jet Propulsion Laboratory software producer Jason Craig said in a statement. “All you need is an internet connection, a device with a web browser and a bit of curiosity.”