Exoplanet Explorer

Exoplanet Explorer

Exoplanet Explorer takes you on a journey into deep space, beyond the limits of our Solar System. Based on the latest available data, you’ll explore 3D recreations of more than 500 known planets and systems that orbit our neighbours in the Milky Way galaxy.

The Planets have been divided up into 6 classes using the Mass Classification system from PHL, and further subdivided into 3 temperature classes. The result is a table of 18 possible planet types, each of which has been rendered in 3D to approximate planetary appearance. These planetary models are then assembled into systems to give you an idea of what each system could look like, if it were possible to visit it today.

In addition to navigating with the touch of a finger, Exoplanet Explorer offers filtering functionality which will let you narrow down the list to the planets and systems to just the ones you are interested in.

Statistics are also provided to summarise the information in the database.

The data is sourced from The Exoplanets Encyclopedia and wherever possible missing values are either estimated or looked up from other sites such as Wikipedia or Simbad. In general, most planets and systems are quite well defined, but in a few cases there is insufficient data to even make an attempt to estimate their likely appearance. These planets and stars won’t be shown by Exoplanet Explorer.

Planet are divided into the following mass classes:

  • Mercurian – rocky worlds that have the approximate mass of Mercury
  • Sub-terran – rocky planets with a mass similar to Mars
  • Terran – rocky worlds with similar mass to Earth
  • Super-terran – rocky worlds with a higher mass than Earth
  • Neptunian – gas giants similar to Neptune
  • Jovian – gas giants as massive or more massive than Jupiter

The planets are further divided into the following temperature classes:

  • Hot – planets that are too hot to support liquid water
  • Warm – planets in the star’s habitable zone where liquid water could exist
  • Cold – planets beyond the habitable zone where water would only exist as ice

Coding and graphics by Neil Burlock

Music by Kevin MacLeod

Please leave comments here, not on Android Market
Google’s comment system is broken and I can’t access most comments posted there


  • MarkGStacey

    Hi

    Great app – awesome. A really great feature would be to have a line direcly from Sol to the chosen star, so we can see easily which direction it’s in, as well as a line to the galatic center.

    Also to be able to stay on the view that shows the different stars in relation to each other, before it zooms to the specific star, also very cool

    • Anonymous

      Thanks, it was a lot of work :)

      I made the app auto-zoom to the selected star to reduce the number of clicks – it’s the UI designer in me showing :)

      In an upcoming update, I’ll add an option to the menu to make it just go to the system without zooming, for those who want to take it slower.

      The directional arrows are a good idea too. They’ll appear once I add functionality to overlay graphics onto the map, like drawing in the habitable zone.

  • Ben

    A beautiful app, having been a fan of your outstanding Solar System one, I gladly purchased this one as well. Unfotunately, a lot of the planets appear extremely dark to completely black on my Galaxy S2. Changing the brightness setting in the app options doesn’t appear to have any effect on the display.

    • Anonymous

      OK, I forgot to remove a line of debugging code in the brightness slider, sorry!

      It’s strange that it should be so dark though. I’ve tested it on the Australian version of the Galaxy S2, but I know that there are two versions of the hardware in the S2.

      I’ll release an update that will fix the brightness slider shortly.

      If you are still having problems with the new version, then let me know and also tell me what country you are in and what phone model you have? It could be something to do with the “other” type of Galaxy S2 that I’ll have to investigate.

      • Ben

        Thank you very much for caring about feedback, first of all. :D
        I am in Germany – and I agree that it is really odd about the darkness witnessed. I have the solar system app as well, as mentioned, and thus were able to dirdctely compare the differences in darkness between the solar planets in both apps – thd solar sytem planets of Sol are beautifully brilliant, while the same planets look like barely lit patches of dark smudge in the exosolar app. If it helps: While zooming in from stellar distances, the planets appear lit. Only when zooming in do they suddenly lose their luminosity, almost like trying and failing to load a closeup texture.

        • Anonymous

          I’ve just released the fix for the slider, it’ll show up in the market soon.

          What version of the SGS2 do you have? It should be written on the back.

          The two types I know of are the Tegra 2 i9100, and Exynos i9103.

          It sounds like the light source located at the sun isn’t working, so the planets are black. If so, the brightness slider won’t have an effect and I’ll try something else.

          • Ben

            I am afraid I didn’t manage to find any noted down version anywhere on my SGS2 or in any documents that come with it, but the model number displayed in the settings menu is “GT-I9100″.

            I also took two screenshots to maybe help you with your bug hunt.

            - this here is how Earth looks in my Solar Explorer: http://www.nefkom.info/AlbinoRaptor/SolarExplorer.png

            - and this here is how Earth looks in my Exoplanet Explorer: http://www.nefkom.info/AlbinoRaptor/ExoplanetExplorer.png

            If I can do anything to help, do not hesitate to ask me!

          • Ben

            I just downloaded your update from the Android Market – I think you fixed it! Here is the updated screenshot as it appears in my Exoplanet Explorer now, same settings as before: http://www.nefkom.info/AlbinoRaptor/ExoplanetExplorer_Update01.png

            Thanks & good job!

          • Anonymous

            I’m glad to hear it :)

            There’s still something not right if you had to increase the brightness to see anything. I’ll report the problem to Stonetrip, the people who made the software I used to write the app. There’s probably a minor compatibility issue with your version of the GS2.

          • Ben

            I will definitely keep my eyes open for any further updates then. :)

  • Robert

    Hi Neil,
    Shopped your application the other day. Thanks a lot, indeed, for another masterpiece. Truly out of this world in more ways than one! Tremendous amount of work as far as I can judge, including all the updating whenever new planets are detected.
    Cheers
    Robert

  • Pottermr Mp

    I do not normally post comments on apps but I felt that I really had to for this one. I really enjoy not only information of the planet but also being able to put more clear image of it in my head. Thanks

    • Anonymous

      Thanks :)

      That’s actually the reason I wrote it. I’d just finished Solar Explorer and after reading an article about new exoplanet discoveries, it occurred to me that it would be good to have something that could visualise the data.

  • Hernen

    Hi! Thanks for this great app as I was looking for exactly this kind of stuff in the market for half a year. Do you think that in some further versions there will be something like showing the proportion of each extrasolar planet to its solar counterpart, showing the actual suggested temperature of the planet in °Kelvin, Celsius or Fahrenheit, adding the stars close to the sun (within a range of about 20ly), showing the partners in the binary systems (like Kepler 16B) and making it possible to type in the name of the planet / star instead of only scrolling down the list?

    • Anonymous

      I’m especially interested in trying to make everything look as realistic as possible, so I hope to be able to show binary and trinary systems with more than one star in a future update.

      I’ll also be upgrading the planet info to show all the data I’ve got on them. There’s a lot that’s currently not displayed because of screen space limitations. This includes showing relative planet sizes and other info to give a better idea of what these systems look like compared to ours.

      I’ve also got a search function to find the a star by name planned. And a feature to quickly find the most recently updated planets.

  • Zathross

    Fantastic informative and geogious app. Very nice. Tanks for the work.

  • Stylishd

    Hi Neil, let me just say first well done on a fabulous app. I have previously bought Solar Explorer after I discovered and fell in love with it (“,). I have downloaded Explained Explorer and love it even more!
    However 1 really irritating feature is preventing me from buying the full version. The Sol system and every othr system is displayed as if viewed looking down on the southern pole of the host star! The planets are all orbiting in the “wrong” direction. I want to see them orbiting counter-clockwise and I’ll snap it up. But let me re-iterate, magnificent work and thank you for putting this app out there.

    • Stylishd

      oops(“,) auto correct didn’t like “exoplanet”, I don’t know what “Explained Explorer” is ;-)

    • Anonymous

      Yeah, I noticed the wrong orbital direction a couple of days ago after I put the last update out. It’s going to be a while before I can do a new release though, I’m working on some new stuff.

      Isn’t it amazing that a minus sign in the wrong place can cause the whole universe to run backwards?

  • Hernen

    Hi Neil. As you’re preparing the next major update, wouldn’t it he an idea to include the Kepler candidates (KOI-Catalouge) in the database? Hopefully it won’t take too long till version 2.0, its such fun to work with your app.

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      Thanks for the suggestion :)

      The focus of the new version will be improving the accuracy of the simulation, the data available and unlinking the database from the app so it can be updated whenever a new confirmed planet is announced. It’s still going to be based on the Encyclopaedia, at least for now.

      I’m currently rewriting the database creation script to calculate missing planetary info wherever possible so even more planets will be modelled and there will be fewer question marks on the list.

      As you can imagine, it’s a lot of work, so it’s going to take some time. I hope that the scientific community will be on holiday for the next few weeks so I’ll have a gap before new confirmed planets start being announced.

      The coming year is going to be a busy one for exoplanets with over 1,200 Kepler candidates and counting.

  • Ljberghuis

    Absolutely fantastic, by far the most beautiful app I’ve downloaded on my Galaxy S, together with your solar explorer can keep me mesmerised for hours if not days

  • Gmcvoyager

    Hi the Earth seems to be rotating the wrong way resulting in the Sun rising in the West instead of tbe East. This is a wonderful program. Thank you!

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      Yes, of two possible orbital directions, I managed to miss a minus sign, ended up with it going the wrong way and didn’t notice till after the last release…

      I’m currently working on an update for the app that includes a fix for this.

  • Hernen

    Hi Neil! I’m checking the market every day as I can’t wait for the update! Do you think it is possible to orbit around the planets when you close up while they’re still mowing? All the best and happy new year!

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      I just posted a blog update when you posted this.

      It’s not ready yet, but it’s getting there. I’ve just finished implementing completely new navigation code, so for now, the planets will be stationary when zoomed in, but I think the new system will support allowing them to move down the track.

      I hope to release version 2 late next week, and whatever I haven’t been able to complete by then will have to wait for later updates. The important bits are done.

  • Hernen

    Hi Neil! Well, congratulations. The ExEx 2.x with all the new features is great! Do you think it is possible to make the stars look a bit more realistic, like showing them with sunspots or showing the Pulsars with their flashlight effect.

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      I’m glad you like it.

      Yes, I have plans to enhance the stars to make them more like their real counterparts, wherever possible.

      • Hernen

        Hi again. Somehow the automatic update didn’t work as it should cause every time I start the app after a while the “automatic update” is switched off again. The latest database update I have is that one from Jan. 13th. Is it possible do update it manually by just pressing some kind of button?

        • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

          Is this what you mean: You start the app and the auto update checkbox is disabled. You check it on and it remains enabled during the session. The next time you start the app auto update has switched itself off?

          Have you tried switching auto update on, followed by quitting the app using the Quit button in the menu, and then restarting? The app is supposed to save updated options when it quits.

          I suspect Android’s task manager might be killing the app after suspending it without giving it time to write updated options to storage.

          • Hernen

            Hi Neil! Thanks a million. This was exactly what went wrong. Now its all perfect! Thanks again and I’m really curious about your next project and upcomming features of ExEx.

  • Jmm

    Need way to turn off audio, permanently, that will persist from one session to the next

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      You wouldn’t happen to be using a task manager to kill the app, would you? Settings such as audio level are written when the app exits, which doesn’t happen if a task manager kills it.

      Try setting the audio level to nothing then quit the app immediately to make sure it saves it.

  • Hernen

    Hi Neil, there’s one feature that come on my mind when I look at the comparison of planet sizes button. Why not expand this one with a comparison of star sizes to our sun and how big / small the star might look like from the surface of the extra solar planets compared to our view from the sun from earth.

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      The only reason I didn’t include a star comparison with the planet one is that the size range of stars is so huge. White dwarfs start at around Earth size and some of the larger stars make our sun look like a grain of dust floating in space. I’m still working on ideas.

      Showing how big the star is from the planet surface is more straight-forward though.

  • Hay

    the button for the habitable zone is not there how do I fix this

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      The habitable zone button isn’t in the free version, but if you are using the full version, then try un-installing and reinstalling the app.

  • aaron873

    Is there a playbook version?

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      I’m just waiting on my Playbook to arrive next week so I can test it.

  • zektor

    I can’t wait for the Playbook version of this app. It is an instant purchase for me the second I find it in the AppWorld! Solar Explorer is incredible by the way. I hooked the Playbook up my to 40 inch 1080p LED TV today and was very grateful that the sound is transported over HDMI (some apps do not allow it) and it was just as impressive on the big screen. Thanks again for the Playbook support!

  • http://twitter.com/BerryInformed J. Duke, OSBB

    I too await this for PlayBook! I am already a space nerd and Solar Explorer is slick! Thank you for bringing your apps to the Platform!

  • Tom B.

    Thanks so much for another wonderful app for my playbook (and thanks for the introductory pricing).

  • JHP

    Hi,

    Can you take a look a Mercury – it seems that if I zoom into it – it disappears from the middle out, see attached image…

    Thank you,

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      OK, that’s because Mercury is so small, the camera has to get so close to it to have it fill the screen that the closest part of the planet can’t be drawn.

      I’ll fix it next release. The other 700+ planets should be OK :)

      • JHP

        Wow your fast… That’s great thanks – I own both your apps and wouldn’t hesitate to buy a third.

        Cheers!

  • Jason

    The plane of the galaxy aligned with the ecliptic (plane of the Earth’s orbit). However, the galactic plane is actually inclined by about 60 degrees to the ecliptic. Otherwise, great job!

  • Nyaawie

    Thanks for a great PlayBook app. It is truly First-Class. What is the meaning of FPS in the upper left corner? It it possible for planetary objects to travel in opposite directions within the same system?

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      FPS stands for Frames Per Second, which is how many times the screen is refreshed per second. It’s basically used to measure how fast the app is running for debugging purposes.

      It’s unusual for planets to travel in opposite directions in a system because the planets all normally form from the same cloud of dust. If a planet or moon is captured, then it could end up moving in the opposite direction to everything else, like Uranus’ moon Triton, which orbits in the opposite direction to Proteus.

  • Saptarshi Mandal

    Hi Neil,

    It’s an awesome application.

    Could you please include NGC 3314 (pair of overlapping galaxies) in your next update?

    Please also highlight the updated galaxies in your next updates (with an option to enable / disable highlighted galaxies), it will easy to recognize.

    Regards,
    Sap

  • Jpnoyola

    Love the app! But the masses and radii of all the B-type stars I’ve seen in the app are wrong; the app says they are smaller than the sun!

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      I’m working on upgrade that will use a more complete data source. I’ll check to make sure the B star sizes are more accurate before I release it.

  • rkandro

    Please add to your database filter a function to sort by distance from sol

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      Good idea, I’ll look into doing it soon.

  • Rowbear

    Are upgrades free? I bought this app and the upgrade wants to charge me again?.

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      Yes, upgrades are free. If it’s asking for payment again, then it’s a market glitch. Did you buy it on Google Play or Blackberry Playbook?

  • carlos

    It would be great if you could make a screen saver of any system or planets of the application.

  • http://www.facebook.com/ramsesmadou Ramses Madou

    id love to be able to sort the systems by their distance from sol. great app

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Victor-Lourenço/100001366666796 Victor Lourenço

    Hello Neil. This app is fantastic and congratulations for the work. I bought it with the greatest satisfaction. He was amazing on my Galaxy W. First question: Why do the planets were not placed in more realistic perspective? Second question: Is there a possibility of the same effects of sunlight seen in Solar System?

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      The planet size and positions have to be scaled significantly to fit on a small device. I get this question occasionally, and I prepared a blog that explains the problem it in detail. http://apps.burlock.org/big-solar-system/
      As for the lighting effect, I hadn’t implemented it because some stars wouldn’t have a lens flare, but thinking about it, there’s no reason why I can’t just say that anything above class M has a lens flare.

  • Arthur Fentaman

    Hi Niel. Would it be possible to link the planetary systems with an astronomy app such as skeyepro or google starmap? Also I have been doing a course in astrobiology and there was mention of “puffy planets” and carbon planets. Are these included in the app and if so what as?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001754872828 杜拉格斯

    It is perfect,I love it!

  • @BeezerDave

    I am trying to update the dbases, but there is a timing out issue…app is on a BB Playbook…there are 683 updates listed and the download gets to 283 and shuts off…on reconnnect it starts over…is there a remedy short of buying another version? Thanks….dbj

    • http://apps.burlock.org Neil B

      I don’t know what could be causing a timeout. Try uninstalling, then reinstalling the app. You won’t be charged twice, once you’ve bought it, it’s attached to your google account permanently.

      • @BeezerDave

        Thanks a ton…will give that a try.

        • @BeezerDave

          Still have the same problem. I uninstalled, rebooted, reinstalled, rebooted. Each time the app is activated, it tries to load 663 updates-gets to 80/663 or so and times out. I note that when the app is loading, it shows version 2.3.7; the app version showing in the list of my apps is 2.3.8. Now each time I load the app it want to run all the updates. This is an ‘uber-app’ and my grandmother kids love it. I would like to sort out the glitch.

          Thanks, D

      • @BeezerDave

        Hi Neil…everything working now…all of the updates loaded…Thanks for building this super app.

        D