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Image credits and legal information
This learning app uses images from space agencies, observatories and photographers. All of them are either in the public domain or available under a Creative Commons licence. For every image you can see here who created it. Click on the name of an image to go to its source.
This app is a private educational project. It is not affiliated with NASA, ESA, ESO or any of the other organisations mentioned, and it is neither supported nor endorsed by them. Names of organisations and missions are used for descriptive purposes only.
What the licences mean
- public domain - Free to use. The source is credited all the same.
- CC BY 2.0 - Free to use provided the author and the licence are credited. Licence text
- CC BY 3.0 - Free to use provided the author and the licence are credited. Licence text
- CC BY 4.0 - Free to use provided the author and the licence are credited. Licence text
- CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO - Free to use with attribution; the image itself may only be passed on under the same licence. Licence text
Photos of the celestial bodies, probes and comets (59)
| Image | Creator | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | NASA/GSFC/SDO | public domain |
| Mercury | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington | public domain |
| Venus | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Earth | NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring | public domain |
| Moon | NASA/JPL/USGS | public domain |
| Mars | NASA/JPL/USGS | public domain |
| Jupiter | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Saturn | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Uranus | NASA/JPL-Caltech | public domain |
| Neptune | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Pluto | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Charon | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Ceres | NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA | public domain |
| Asteroid Vesta (for the Asteroid Belt) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA | public domain |
| Phobos | NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona | public domain |
| Deimos | NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona | public domain |
| Io | NASA/JPL/University of Arizona | public domain |
| Europa | NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute | public domain |
| Ganymede | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Callisto | NASA/JPL/DLR | public domain |
| Amalthea | NASA/JPL/Cornell University | public domain |
| Mimas | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Enceladus | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Tethys | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Dione | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Rhea | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Titan | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Hyperion | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Iapetus | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Phoebe | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Pan | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Prometheus | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Janus | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Epimetheus | NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Miranda | NASA/JPL-Caltech | public domain |
| Ariel | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Umbriel | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Titania | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Oberon | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Puck | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Triton | NASA/JPL/USGS | public domain |
| Nereid | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Proteus | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Nix (and Hydra) | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Hydra (and Nix) | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Kerberos | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Apollo 11: bootprint in the lunar dust (scaled down) | NASA | public domain |
| International Space Station (ISS) (scaled down) | NASA (Besatzung STS-132) | public domain |
| James Webb Space Telescope: the golden primary mirror (scaled down) | NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn | public domain |
| Parker Solar Probe: the rocket before launch (scaled down) | NASA/Bill Ingalls | public domain |
| Juno (artist's impression) (scaled down) | NASA/JPL | public domain |
| Cassini (artist's impression) | NASA/JPL-Caltech | public domain |
| Voyager (artist's impression) | NASA/JPL-Caltech | public domain |
| New Horizons at Pluto (artist's impression) (scaled down) | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Comet Hale-Bopp from the Space Shuttle (scaled down) | NASA (Besatzung STS-83) | public domain |
| Comet Encke in infrared (Spitzer) (scaled down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Minnesota | public domain |
| Comet Halley, 8 March 1986 (scaled down) | NASA/W. Liller | public domain |
| Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, 19 September 2014 (scaled down) | ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM | CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO |
| The Rosetta probe's view of its comet, 7 July 2015 (scaled down) | ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM | CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO |
Images in the cosmos: nebulae, galaxies, the universe (20)
In the 3D view these images are also softly faded out at the edges and darkened (modified).
| Image | Creator | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| The Milky Way (illustration based on measurements) (scaled down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech) | public domain |
| Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way (scaled down) | EHT Collaboration | CC BY 4.0 |
| Orion Nebula (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team | public domain |
| Pillars of Creation (Webb) (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Bildbearbeitung: J. DePasquale, A. M. Koekemoer, A. Pagan (STScI) | public domain |
| Crab Nebula (scaled down) | NASA/ESA/JPL/Arizona State University | public domain |
| Pleiades (M45) (scaled down) | Filip Lolić | CC BY 3.0 |
| Eta Carinae (scaled down) | ESA/Hubble & NASA | CC BY 4.0 |
| Globular cluster M13 (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) | public domain |
| Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) (scaled down) | NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO) | public domain |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) (scaled down) | Adam Evans | CC BY 2.0 |
| Triangulum Galaxy (M33) (scaled down) | ESO | CC BY 2.0 |
| Large Magellanic Cloud (scaled down) | ESO | CC BY 4.0 |
| Small Magellanic Cloud (scaled down) | ESO/VISTA VMC | CC BY 4.0 |
| Virgo Cluster (Markarian's Chain) (cropped and scaled down) | NOIRLab/NSF/AURA | CC BY 4.0 |
| Coma Cluster (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). Acknowledgment: D. Carter (Liverpool John Moores University) and the Coma HST ACS Treasury Team | CC BY 4.0 |
| NGC 1275, central galaxy of the Perseus Cluster (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration | public domain |
| Hubble Ultra Deep Field (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech), A. Koekemoer (STScI), R. Windhorst (Arizona State University), and Z. Levay (STScI) | public domain |
| Webb's First Deep Field (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI | public domain |
| JADES-GS-z14-0 (scaled down) | NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Phill Cargile (CfA) | public domain |
| Map of the cosmic microwave background (WMAP, 9 years) (scaled down) | NASA / WMAP Science Team | public domain |
Surfaces in the 3D view and in the maps (34)
The maps from Solar System Scope are based on NASA data. The maps of Ceres, Haumea, Makemake and Eris are artistic impressions - there are no close-up images of the three distant dwarf planets. The app icon is a screenshot from the app (Saturn).
| Image | Creator | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Mercury | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Venus (clouds) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Venus (surface, radar) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Earth (day) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Earth (night) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Earth (clouds) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Moon | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Mars | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Jupiter | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Saturn | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Saturn's rings | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Uranus (scaled down) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Neptune | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Starry sky with the Milky Way | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Ceres (artist's map) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Haumea (artist's map) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Makemake (artist's map) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Eris (artist's map) | Solar System Scope (INOVE) | CC BY 4.0 |
| Io (scaled down) | NASA/JPL/USGS (Galileo, Voyager) | public domain |
| Europa (scaled down) | NASA/JPL/USGS (Galileo, Voyager) | public domain |
| Ganymede (scaled down) | NASA/JPL/USGS (Galileo, Voyager) | public domain |
| Callisto (scaled down) | NASA/JPL/USGS (Galileo, Voyager) | public domain |
| Mimas (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Enceladus (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Tethys (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Dione (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Rhea (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Iapetus (scaled down, colours toned down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Lunar and Planetary Institute | public domain |
| Titan (cropped, colourised orange) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Titan (map) (cropped) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute | public domain |
| Pluto (scaled down, unphotographed areas brightened) | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Charon (scaled down, unphotographed areas brightened) | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute | public domain |
| Triton (scaled down) | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lunar & Planetary Institute | public domain |
Voice, sounds and texts
- The tours and the info panels are read aloud by your browser's voice. It is artificially generated - no human is speaking.
- The sounds (background soundscape, flight whoosh) are generated directly in your browser. No third-party recordings are used.
- The texts, quiz questions and calculations were written for this app, with the support of an AI (Claude). Figures come from publicly available information from the space agencies and observatories. Despite all the care taken, they may contain errors.
- Star positions, orbital data and distances are measurements (facts) and are not protected by copyright.
Software libraries
The app is built with 66 open-source libraries (including React and three.js), all under free licences. Full licence texts
List of libraries
@babel/runtime 7.29.7 (MIT) · @mediapipe/tasks-vision 0.10.17 (Apache-2.0) · @monogrid/gainmap-js 3.4.0 (MIT) · @react-three/drei 10.7.9 (MIT) · @react-three/fiber 9.8.1 (MIT) · @tweenjs/tween.js 23.1.3 (MIT) · @types/draco3d 1.4.10 (MIT) · @types/offscreencanvas 2019.7.3 (MIT) · @types/react 19.3.0 (MIT) · @types/react-reconciler 0.28.9 (MIT) · @types/stats.js 0.17.4 (MIT) · @types/three 0.171.0 (MIT) · @types/webxr 0.5.24 (MIT) · @use-gesture/core 10.3.1 (MIT) · @use-gesture/react 10.3.1 (MIT) · @webgpu/types 0.1.74 (BSD-3-Clause) · base64-js 1.5.1 (MIT) · bidi-js 1.1.0 (MIT) · buffer 6.0.3 (MIT) · camera-controls 3.1.2 (MIT) · cross-env 7.0.3 (MIT) · cross-spawn 7.0.6 (MIT) · csstype 3.2.3 (MIT) · detect-gpu 5.0.70 (MIT) · draco3d 1.5.7 (Apache-2.0) · fflate 0.8.3 (MIT) · fflate 0.6.11 (MIT) · glsl-noise 0.0.0 (MIT) · hls.js 1.7.3 (Apache-2.0) · ieee754 1.2.1 (BSD-3-Clause) · immediate 3.0.6 (MIT) · is-promise 2.2.2 (MIT) · isexe 2.0.0 (ISC) · its-fine 2.1.1 (MIT) · lie 3.3.0 (MIT) · maath 0.10.8 (MIT) · meshline 3.3.1 (MIT) · meshoptimizer 0.18.1 (MIT) · path-key 3.1.1 (MIT) · potpack 1.0.2 (ISC) · promise-worker-transferable 1.0.4 (Apache-2.0) · react 19.3.0 (MIT) · react-dom 19.3.0 (MIT) · react-use-measure 2.1.7 (MIT) · require-from-string 2.0.2 (MIT) · scheduler 0.28.0 (MIT) · shebang-command 2.0.0 (MIT) · shebang-regex 3.0.0 (MIT) · stats-gl 2.4.2 (MIT) · stats.js 0.17.0 (MIT) · suspend-react 0.1.3 (MIT) · three 0.171.0 (MIT) · three 0.170.0 (MIT) · three-mesh-bvh 0.8.3 (MIT) · three-stdlib 2.36.1 (MIT) · troika-three-text 0.52.5 (MIT) · troika-three-utils 0.52.5 (MIT) · troika-worker-utils 0.52.0 (MIT) · tunnel-rat 0.1.2 (MIT) · use-sync-external-store 1.7.0 (MIT) · utility-types 3.11.0 (MIT) · webgl-constants 1.1.1 (MIT) · webgl-sdf-generator 1.1.1 (MIT) · which 2.0.2 (ISC) · zustand 5.0.15 (MIT) · zustand 4.5.7 (MIT)
Legal notice
Responsible for the content: Michael Plangger, Steinlettenweg 2, 5074 Eiken, Schweiz
Contact: info@kosmoskop.ch
If any content infringes someone's rights, a short message to the address above is all it takes: it will be checked and removed without delay.
Privacy
- No cookies, no advertising services. Images, maps, sounds and fonts are hosted with the site itself; the only thing that comes from third-party servers is the small counting script (see below).
- What is stored in your browser (and never leaves your device): the Explorer's Passport and high scores, your settings (simple language, probe paths, speed, voice), the question of the day and - if you use “My birthday in space” - the date you entered. You can delete all of it using “Clear site data” in your browser.
- Reading aloud with the browser voice: Some browsers generate natural-sounding voices on their maker's servers (for example Microsoft or Google). In that case the text being read aloud is transmitted there.
- Visiting the site: The site is delivered via Cloudflare (Cloudflare Pages). In the process, the technical details that every browser sends are briefly processed: IP address, time, page requested and browser type. This serves solely to keep the site running securely.
- Visitor counting: To see how many visits the site receives, it uses Cloudflare Web Analytics. For this, your browser loads a small script from Cloudflare that counts which pages are viewed and how often - without cookies and without recognising individual people.
- Affiliate links: Links to Amazon are marked as advertising. Anyone who clicks on such a link leaves this site; Amazon's own privacy policy applies there. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- Supporting the project: The bank details are only loaded after you click the button. If you make a bank transfer, the operator learns what your bank sends along with it (usually your name, address and message).
- Notices from sponsors are marked as “Advertisement”. They are simple links without tracking pixels; the rules of the external site only apply once you click on them. Sponsors have no influence on the content.
- External links (to the image sources and licence texts) lead to third-party sites; their rules only apply once you click on them.
- Your rights: You can ask the responsible person named above for access to, correction of and deletion of your data. The supervisory authority in Switzerland is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).
Last checked: 10 October 2026. If a credit is missing or incorrect, the image will be removed without delay.