# Heliosphere - Solar System — Explore Space Around You > Real-time 3D solar system simulation with accurate astronomical data and educational content. (iPhone/iPad app by CHUNGKIL KIM.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heliosphere-solar-system/id6757491622 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [CHUNGKIL KIM](https://appshunter.io/developer/960187999) - Category: Education, Entertainment - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 36 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China), Slovak and 2 more - Released: 2026-01-08 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heliosphere-solar-system/id6757491622/reviews.md ## What is Heliosphere? Explore the solar system at your fingertips. Heliosphere is a real-time 3D solar system simulation powered by NASA JPL Horizons data. It accurately recreates the orbits of planets, moons, comets, and dwarf planets while tracking the real positions of active spacecraft. * Real-time 3D Solar System Simulation — 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, 10+ moons, and 4 comets — Precise Keplerian orbit calculations based on real astronomical data — Time travel from 1900 to 2100 — Pan, zoom, and rotate for a free-roaming perspective — Switch to planet-centric viewing mode * Live Spacecraft Tracking — Voyager 1, 2 | Pioneer 10, 11 — Cassini | Juno | New Horizons | Parker Solar Probe — Real position data from NASA JPL Horizons API * Deep Sky Exploration — Over 150 bright stars — 530 Milky Way stars — 124 deep-sky objects (Messier, NGC/IC catalogs) * Comprehensive Astronomy Education — 6 difficulty levels from middle school to graduate — Core concepts: Kepler's Laws, gravity, escape velocity, and more — Mission timelines for Voyager, Cassini, New Horizons, and others — 60+ quiz questions to test your knowledge — Historical space event date-guessing challenges * Free for Everyone — All content available at no cost — No ads — 11 languages supported Experience the beauty of the cosmos and the wonder of science through scientifically accurate data and intuitive interaction. ## Key features - Real-time 3D solar system simulation - Live spacecraft tracking - Deep sky exploration - Comprehensive astronomy education - Time travel from 1900 to 2100 - Planet-centric viewing mode ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 3 Coffees | $8.99 | one-time | | 1 Coffee | $2.99 | one-time | | 5 Coffees | $14.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (2 of 2) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heliosphere-solar-system/id6757491622/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Nice visuals, stable, but lots of bugs *2026-08-12* Today there was an eclipse, but the app was showing the moon in the wrong place. The only way to move about the solar system is by clicking on the planets at the bottom banner (which cannot be hidden unlike the top banner); cannot click on the actual orbiting planets; cannot use swipe gestures to move around the solar system. Intuition wants me to think that clicking on a celestial body would track it’s movement as time progresses, but the user has to click on any other item, then click the desired body to readjust the camera, but time is progressing so this has to be repeated. Also there is no way to change the scale of the bodies relative to their orbits. The app says it does but it just shrinks or grows everything. That being said I do like that the app tells you when celestial events happen, and it’s very satisfying to move through time **Developer response:** thank ur detail report. i will fix feature in next version. ### 5/5 — 학교 공부를 위한 앱으로 사용하면 좋을 것 같아요! *2026-02-08* 행성들과 행성의 정보들도 자세하게 나와있는 점이 매우 좋아요! ## Frequently asked questions about Heliosphere ### What celestial bodies can I explore in Heliosphere? Heliosphere allows you to explore the 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, over 10 moons, and 4 comets. It also includes over 150 bright stars, 530 Milky Way stars, and 124 deep-sky objects. ### How accurate is the data in Heliosphere? The app is powered by NASA JPL Horizons data, providing precise Keplerian orbit calculations for celestial bodies and real-time positions of active spacecraft. ### Can I learn about space missions with Heliosphere? Yes, Heliosphere offers comprehensive astronomy education, including mission timelines for spacecraft like Voyager, Cassini, and New Horizons, along with over 60 quiz questions. ### What are the educational levels supported by Heliosphere? Heliosphere caters to a wide range of learners with 6 difficulty levels, suitable for middle school students up to graduate-level study, covering core concepts like Kepler's Laws and gravity. ### Does Heliosphere have ads? No, Heliosphere is completely free for everyone and does not contain any advertisements, offering an uninterrupted learning experience. ### On which devices can I use Heliosphere? Heliosphere is available for iPhone and iPad, allowing users to explore the cosmos on their preferred Apple mobile devices. ### How often is Heliosphere updated? The latest version, 1.12.0, was released on April 12, 2026, indicating a commitment to regular updates and improvements for the application. ### What languages does Heliosphere support? Heliosphere is available in 11 different languages, making its educational content accessible to a global audience. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.14.0 — 2026-08-18 What's New in 1.14.0 Positional Accuracy - The Moon is now where the real Moon is. It used to be drawn far from its true position even on eclipse days - The Moon's ecliptic latitude and orbital inclination are modelled. Every moon used to sit exactly in the ecliptic, which would mean an eclipse every single month - Planets travel real elliptical orbits instead of circles, speeding up near perihelion and slowing near aphelion as they should - Earth's rotation is anchored to real sidereal time, so the day/night terminator falls where it really does — and with a fixed axis, the seasons appear - All ten moons (the Moon, Phobos, Io, Titan and the rest) use measured orbital data - Verified against JPL Horizons positions across the full 1900-2100 range Eclipse Shadows - During a solar eclipse the Moon's shadow now falls on Earth in its true place - Umbra and penumbra are computed at real size. The umbra is about 2% of Earth's diameter, so it reads as a small dot — which is exactly how it looks from space - Annular eclipses draw a lighter shadow, because the Sun is never fully covered Three Scale Axes - Body size, orbit spacing and moon distance are three independent controls - Set all three to the right and the famous check holds: the other seven planets, laid end to end, just fit inside the Moon's orbit - At realistic size the Sun reaches its true 109 Earth radii - Your choices are remembered Navigation - Selecting a body follows it as time advances - You can tap orbiting planets directly in the 3D view - Two-finger drag slides the view - Step the date by exact units: 10 years, 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, 1 day - Step playback speed the same way: 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year per second - The speed range now reaches a year per second, so the slow outer planets — Neptune above all — finally get somewhere - The bottom bar can be hidden on iPhone Astronomical Events - Jump straight to an event's date from the calendar - Meteor showers jump to their peak, not the start of the viewing window Learning - New topic, "Scale and Distance", on why true scale cannot be drawn on a screen and what this app exaggerates as a result Other Improvements - Fixed moons such as Io appearing inside their parent planet at realistic size - Fixed the Moon's orbit overlapping Venus's - Fixed Triton not moving at all - Fixed the outer planets being clipped away when orbits were widened - Selecting a body now shows a shortcut into the Learning Center Your favorites, achievements and streak are all preserved. ### 1.13.1 — 2026-05-25 - improve UI ### 1.13.0 — 2026-05-20 Asteroid 4 Vesta is added ### 1.12.0 — 2026-04-12 - Reduce Energy Impact - Fix iPhone UI ### 1.11.0 — 2026-04-11 Explore Artemis II — NASA's historic return to the Moon! • NEW: Artemis II (2026) added to the spacecraft catalog NASA's first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 (1972). Launched April 1, 2026 from Kennedy Space Center, four astronauts flew a 10-day free-return trajectory around the far side of the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. A partnership between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. • NEW: Tap any spacecraft to travel to its launch date instantly Want to relive Voyager's Jupiter flyby or watch Artemis II lift off? Just tap the spacecraft — the simulation jumps straight to mission start. • NEW: Smart time speed for every mission Short missions like Artemis II (10 days) automatically play at a slower time scale so you can actually watch them unfold, while decades-long journeys like Voyager speed up to keep things moving. ## More apps by CHUNGKIL KIM - [PDF - crop question paper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-crop-question-paper/id1450818202) - [Day2U - D-Day Countdown](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/day2u-d-day-countdown/id1456616742) - [StellerVoyage](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellervoyage/id6757396559) - [Brick Rogue](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brick-rogue/id6757966656) - [Pixel Knight Run](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-knight-run/id6757982643) All apps by CHUNGKIL KIM: https://appshunter.io/developer/960187999 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*