About This Project
Making planetary science personal, engaging, and mind-blowing through the universal experience of time.
💡 The Big Idea
Have you ever stopped to think about how arbitrary time really is?
We say "a day is 24 hours" like it's a universal truth. But it's not. It's just how long it takes Earth to spin once. On Jupiter, a day is less than 10 hours. On Venus, a day is 243 Earth days!
We say "I'm 10 years old" and think we know what that means. But age is just counting how many times your planet has orbited the sun. On Neptune, you'd be 0.06 years old. On Mercury, you'd be 41!
This website exists to blow your mind about time.
Time isn't universal. It's planetary. It's local. It's relative.
And when you understand how time works differently on every world, you start to see our own Earth with fresh eyes. Our 24-hour days, our 365-day years, our four 3-month seasons—these aren't "normal." They're uniquely ours. And they're perfectly balanced for life.
🚀 Why We Built This
Education Through Wonder
The best way to learn science isn't through memorization—it's through curiosity. When you discover that Mercury has two birthdays per day, or that Uranus has 42-year nights, you can't help but ask: Why? How? What would that be like?
Those questions lead to deeper understanding of orbital mechanics, planetary rotation, axial tilt and seasons, and the relationship between motion and time.
Making Science Personal
"Calculate your age on Mercury" isn't just a fun gimmick—it's a way to make abstract astronomical concepts personally meaningful. When you see "I'm 41 Mercury years old!" you're forced to think about what that means.
Suddenly, planetary science isn't abstract facts in a textbook. It's about YOUR age, YOUR life, YOUR experience of time.
🔬 Our Commitment to Scientific Accuracy
Every fact on this website is sourced from authoritative scientific data and we cite our sources, updating regularly as new missions provide better data.
Data Sources
- • NASA Planetary Fact Sheets
- • JPL Solar System Dynamics
- • International Astronomical Union (IAU) definitions
- • European Space Agency (ESA) mission data
- • Peer-reviewed astronomical research
Precision Standards
- • Orbital periods: Accurate to 3 decimal places
- • Rotation periods: Accurate to nearest second
- • Age calculations: Use exact decimal values
- • Regular updates with latest mission data
When We Don't Know
Science is honest about uncertainty. Where we don't have complete data, we say so. We distinguish between known facts (backed by observation), strong theories (well-supported but not directly observed), and speculation (interesting but unproven ideas).
🎓 For Teachers
This website is designed to be classroom-friendly and supports educators at all levels.
Using This Site in Your Classroom:
- • Use the age calculator as an introductory hook
- • Assign planet exploration as research projects
- • Use comparison tool to teach ratios and proportions
- • Download lesson plans aligned to your curriculum
- • Print worksheets for hands-on activities
⚙️ Technical Implementation
Website Built With
- • Next.js 14 with App Router (React framework)
- • TypeScript (for calculation accuracy)
- • Tailwind CSS (styling)
- • Framer Motion (animations)
- • Vercel (hosting)
Features
- • Real-time age calculations
- • Interactive planet comparisons
- • Educational content for all levels
- • Teacher resources and lesson plans
- • Responsive design for all devices
🔮 Future Plans
We're constantly expanding this site. Here's what's coming next:
Want updates? Stay tuned for announcements about new features and content!
🙏 Acknowledgments
This website would not be possible without:
- • NASA: For decades of planetary exploration and freely available data
- • ESA: For contributions to our understanding of the outer solar system
- • The Planetary Society: For advocacy and education in planetary science
- • Teachers: For feedback on educational resources
- • Students: For asking "what if?" questions that drive discovery
- • Open source community: For the tools that make this possible
Get in Touch
Questions? Corrections? Suggestions?
We're always improving this site based on feedback from educators, students, and space enthusiasts.
Found an error? Please let us know! Scientific accuracy is our top priority.
Want to contribute? We welcome guest articles, educational resources, and translations.