Real-time Solar System Visualizer: 526k Asteroids + All Tracked Satellites
Original: Show HN: Real-time Solar System with 526k asteroids and all tracked satellites
Why This Matters
Browser-based orbital simulations at this scale push what WebGL and real-time data pipelines can deliver to casual users.
Developer bl2.net launched a browser-based real-time Solar System simulation rendering 526,000 asteroids and all currently tracked Earth satellites. Users can fly through the system using keyboard controls, click bodies for orbital data, and toggle orbit visibility. Data updates live.
Space.bl2.net is an interactive 3D Solar System visualizer running entirely in the browser. It plots over 526,000 asteroids alongside every satellite currently tracked in orbit around Earth — a significant data load for a client-side web app. Navigation is mouse-and-keyboard driven: drag to rotate, scroll to zoom, click any body to pull up its info card and orbital path, double-click to fly toward it. WASD handles free-flight movement, R/F control vertical thrust, Q/E and arrow keys handle rotation, and Shift kicks in a speed boost. Group labels can be clicked to highlight entire asteroid families, and the eye icon toggles orbit-line rendering. The simulation runs on UTC time and displays a live data-refresh indicator when new positional data arrives. The project appears to be a solo build submitted to Hacker News under the 'Show HN' banner, with the interface text originally in Russian, suggesting a developer based in a Russian-speaking region.