Galaxy
The whole Milky Way as one great hex board: the bar and its golden core, the spiral arms bright with young stars and merging nebulae, dark gulfs between them. Zoom from the full disc down through the arms to star clusters that open into their stars, to single stars, and to the Sun's real neighbours. Or zoom out past the galaxy's edge: Andromeda and the Local Group, the Virgo Cluster, Laniakea, and a billion light years of galaxies strung along the cosmic web. The layout follows NASA's picture of the galaxy; the nebulae, clusters, bright stars and nearby galaxies stand at their true places; the far side of the core, which nobody can see, is imagined, and so are the galaxies between the real ones far out. Set how finely the board is cut, from 31 hexes across to thousands, and watch it change.
Open the map
Controls
Drag to pan · wheel zoom · click a hex, a star or a galaxy · right click clear · double-click zoom in · right drag or Ctrl+drag turn and tilt · WASD pan · Q/E turn · F zoom in · [ ] hex size · G grid · T plates · B stars and galaxies · N names · L rings · H hide the panel · Home whole galaxy · End the universe. Sound, full screen and leave are the icons at the top of the map's panel.
Web build exported 2026-11-06 11:33. The map is drawn per pixel: if it runs slowly, pick a lower detail.
Layout after the artist's concept by NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESO/R. Hurt (public domain). Our own painting; the far side is imagined. Nearby galaxies and clusters at rounded textbook places; the rest of the cosmic web grows from a seed.