3D Milky Way Explorer

An interactive 3D journey through the Milky Way galaxy — explore star systems, dive into planetary systems, and navigate celestial bodies in real time.

🌐 Live Demo: Try it on Vercel

3D Milky Way Explorer is a fully interactive, real-time 3D visualization of our galaxy and nearby star systems.

Unlike static space visualizations, this project allows users to:

• Navigate freely inside the Milky Way
• Enter star systems via warp transitions
• Explore planetary systems down to moons and belts
• Interact with celestial bodies using both UI and direct scene clicks

The project is built with a state-driven navigation architecture, ensuring smooth transitions between galaxy, star system, and planetary views.

• 🌌 Procedural Milky Way Galaxy
• ⭐ Multiple Star Systems
  • Solar System
  • Sirius Binary System
  • Alpha Centauri Triple System
• 🪐 Fully Modeled Planetary Systems
  • Planets, dwarf planets, moons
  • Asteroid Belt & Kuiper Belt
• 🎥 Advanced Camera Controls
  • Warp-in / warp-out transitions
  • Focus & reset per system
• 🧭 UI + 3D Scene Synchronization
  • Click planets directly
  • Or navigate via the info panel
• ✨ Dynamic Labels
  • Distance-aware scaling
  • Context-sensitive visibility
• ⚡ High Performance Rendering
  • Instancing
  • Optimized geometries
  • Smart visibility management

1. Galaxy View
   • Free camera navigation
   • Select destinations (Solar System, Sirius, Alpha Centauri)
2. Warp Transition
   • Smooth animated entry into star systems
3. Inner Space
   • Planetary orbits
   • Moons & sub-systems
   • Focused exploration
4. Return to Galaxy
   • Animated exit with spatial scaling

• React
• React Three Fiber
• Three.js
• @react-three/drei
• WebGL
• Vite
• Tailwind CSS

npm install
npm run dev

Milky Way — Galaxy overview	Sirius System — Inner system view
Sirius A — Focus view	Sirius B — Focus view
Alpha Centauri — Inner system view	Rigil Kentaurus (Alpha Centauri A) — Focus view
Proxima Centauri — Focus view	Solar System — Sun distant view
Mercury — Planet focus view	Venus — Planet focus view
Earth — Planet focus view	Mars — Planet focus view
Jupiter — Planet focus view	Saturn — Planet focus view
Uranus — Planet focus view	Neptune — Planet focus view
Pluto — Dwarf planet focus	Haumea — Dwarf planet focus
Makemake — Dwarf planet focus	Eris — Dwarf planet focus
Asteroid Belt — Inner belt focus	Kuiper Belt — Outer belt focus