Watch a planet cross a star face and see the resulting transit depth from the radius ratio squared - scrub orbit phase and compare Jupiter-Sun versus Earth-Sun dip sizes in the panel.
Play orbit advances one circuit in about 12 seconds at 1x; pause and scrub 0 to 100 percent to hold the planet mid-transit while the star dims by the preset depth.
Jupiter-Sun depth is about 1%; Earth-Sun is about 0.0084% from (Rplanet/Rstar) squared. The TRAPPIST-1 note cites 7 transiting planets with 1.5 to 19 day periods. This is an educational geometry visualization, not a photometry pipeline.
Exoplanet Transit 3D Explorer
Watch a planet cross a star face and see the resulting transit depth from the radius ratio squared - scrub orbit phase and compare Jupiter-Sun versus Earth-Sun dip sizes in the panel.
Drag to orbit the view, scroll or pinch to zoom, and press Play orbit to watch the planet dim the star during transit. Toggle Jupiter depth (about 1%) or Earth depth (about 0.0084%) and open the TRAPPIST-1 note for seven published periods from 1.5 to 19 days.
The facts panel lists Jupiter-Sun depth about 1%, Earth-Sun depth about 0.0084%, and TRAPPIST-1 with 7 transiting planets - all from standard exoplanet astronomy references.
- Planet crossing a star disk with brightness dip during overlap
- Jupiter versus Earth depth presets from (Rplanet/Rstar) squared
- Orbit phase scrub 0 to 100 percent plus Play orbit / Pause orbit
- TRAPPIST-1 catalog note with 7 planets and 1.5 to 19 day periods
- Published depth table in the facts panel
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
Teachers use it to connect planet radius to transit depth, students compare 1% versus 0.0084% dips, and curious readers pause mid-transit to read TRAPPIST-1 orbital periods.
| System | Transit depth | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter-Sun analog | about 1% | (Rp/Rstar)^2 scaling |
| Earth-Sun analog | about 0.0084% | (Rp/Rstar)^2 scaling |
| TRAPPIST-1 | 7 planets, 1.5-19 d | Published exoplanet catalog |
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached; no scene data is sent to a server.
The scene is an educational transit geometry visualization - it does not model photon noise, limb darkening, or a specific observation schedule, and is not a photometry solver.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read the Exoplanet Transit 3D Explorer step-by-step guide. The Space 3D collection also includes a Solar System 3D Explorer for our Sun and planets and a Star Lifecycle 3D Explorer for stellar evolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Exoplanet Transit 3D Explorer show?
A planet orbiting a star disk and dimming the star when it crosses the face. Transit depth follows (Rplanet/Rstar) squared - about 1% for a Jupiter-Sun analog and about 0.0084% for an Earth-Sun analog in the panel table.
How is this different from Solar System 3D Explorer?
Solar System 3D Explorer shows our Sun and its planets with compressed orbits for one-screen readability. Exoplanet Transit 3D Explorer is the exoplanet detection geometry lesson - how a distant planet's size sets the transit dip depth, with TRAPPIST-1 catalog figures in the panel.
What is the TRAPPIST-1 note?
TRAPPIST-1 hosts 7 known transiting planets with orbital periods from 1.5 to 19 days in the published catalog. The toggle adds that reference to the facts panel while you scrub the demo orbit.
Why do Jupiter and Earth presets differ so much?
Transit depth scales as the square of the planet-to-star radius ratio. Jupiter is much larger relative to the star than Earth, so the Jupiter-Sun analog shows about 1% depth while the Earth-Sun analog shows about 0.0084%.
Is this real telescope data?
No. The scene is an educational geometry visualization with honest approximation disclosure. It does not download light curves, does not match a live observation, and is not a photometry pipeline.
Does Play orbit use real orbital periods?
No. Orbit animation compresses time for classroom pacing. Published TRAPPIST-1 periods appear in the table; the slider and play button are for geometry only.