Compare
Space Radar and NASA's Eyes on the Solar System
Both are free 3D maps of space that run in a web browser. NASA's Eyes is the deeper look at NASA's own spacecraft and missions. Space Radar is open source, centres on what is overhead right now, from satellites to the nearest stars, and runs with no internet from a copy. Many people will want both.
NASA's Eyes is at eyes.nasa.gov.
Side by side
| NASA's Eyes on the Solar System | Space Radar | |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory | An open-source project on GitHub, not part of NASA |
| Cost and account | Free to use | Free; no account, no advertising, no tracker |
| Where it runs | A web browser, on a phone, tablet or computer, Linux included | A web browser, on a phone, tablet or computer |
| Internet | NASA's FAQ says it needs an internet connection | Online, or with no internet from a copy downloaded once (three steps) |
| Source code | NASA's pages we read do not say it is open source | Open, under the MIT License: anyone may read, run or change it |
| What it shows best | NASA's missions: renderings of 126 NASA spacecraft, their paths from 1949 to 2049 | Where things are right now: satellites and the space station, launches, probes, planets, the nearest stars; 39 layers from 16 public sources |
| Stories to follow | Mission events such as Perseverance's landing and Voyager's Grand Tour | 30 guided trips, with a present mode for a classroom |
When to use NASA's Eyes
To follow a NASA mission: where a spacecraft went, when, and what it looks like. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says it has renderings of 126 NASA spacecraft and follows spacecraft and planets from 1949 to 2049. Nothing here replaces that.
When to use Space Radar
- You want to know what is above you now: the space station, a Starlink train, tonight's planets, each placed from public data for the moment on the clock.
- You teach in a room with poor or no internet: a downloaded copy runs from a folder, with no install beyond Python to serve it.
- You want to read the code, check a number, or change something: every source is listed and every card says how old its data is.
Other open-source choices
OpenSpace and Celestia are open-source 3D space programs, installed on a computer rather than opened in a browser. Stellarium is an open-source planetarium for the sky as seen from the ground.
How this page was checked
What it says about NASA's Eyes was read on 30 October 2026 from NASA's Eyes FAQ and JPL's announcement of the browser version (2 September 2022). If it is out of date, tell us and it will be corrected. Space Radar is not part of, and not endorsed by, NASA or JPL.