Computed live · not an animation loop
The solar system, right now
Every planet below is where it actually is at this moment — solved from its orbital elements by Newton–Raphson, the same method used to fly spacecraft. Scrub time forward or back and watch the maths recompute.
True orbital shapes and positions · body sizes hugely exaggerated so they are visible
What this is, and what it isn't
Where the numbers come from
Orbital elements are JPL's low-precision Keplerian set (E.M. Standish, Keplerian Elements for Approximate Positions of the Major Planets), referenced to the J2000 ecliptic with linear rates per century. Sun and Moon positions use truncated series from Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms.
Simplifying assumptions
Pure two-body Keplerian motion: each planet orbits the Sun alone. No planetary perturbations, no general relativity, no barycentre offset. Elements drift linearly, which is why the source data is quoted as valid for roughly 1800–2050.
Known limits
Positions are good to roughly an arcminute for inner planets and a few arcminutes for the outer ones — fine for seeing where things are, useless for aiming a telescope. Eclipse dates are screened by lunar latitude, not computed with Besselian elements, so treat them as "an eclipse occurs that day", not as a prediction of totality.