Your browser could not start the Local Group WebGL map. Try a modern browser with hardware acceleration enabled.
Local Group Explorer
Interactive 3D Map with Real Positions
Selected galaxy
Galaxy
Group
Morphology
Distance
Coordinates
Brightness
Source
Scientific overview
How this Local Group map is built
This explorer places galaxies with a Milky-Way-centered coordinate transform from right ascension, declination, and catalog distance. It is built for orientation: distances and directions are data-driven, while marker size, glow, and labels are visual aids.
1 unitOne scene unit equals one kiloparsec in the object coordinate system.
~780 kpcAndromeda is placed at its approximate catalog distance from the Milky Way.
1500 kpcThe outer guide ring marks a practical Local Group boundary scale.
1
Positions are not random
Each galaxy stores RA, Dec, and distance in kpc. The scene uses those values to place it in 3D around the Milky Way.
2
Subgroups stay visible
Colors separate major galaxies, Milky Way satellites, M31 satellites, isolated dwarfs, and outer boundary systems.
3
Crowded markers can separate
Zoom separation spreads rendered markers around crowded hosts while keeping the catalog coordinates stored unchanged.
4
Marker size is educational
The scale button switches between brightness-coded markers and a more uniform reference view. Neither mode is physical diameter.
This is an educational reconstruction, not a precision astrometric simulator. Distances, membership, and object properties are simplified from literature catalog values so the Local Group structure can be explored interactively.
