In most maps of the solar system, you can expect to see the eight canonical planets (plus whatever Pluto is at the moment) trailing the fiery orange sun like polite little ducklings in a row. In biologist Eleanor Lutz’s new map of the solar system, which shows the precise orbital paths of more than 18,000 near celestial objects, you’ll be lucky if you can even find Mars.
Lutz is a doctoral candidate at the University of Washington who spends her evenings turning public data sets into hyperdetailed works of art. In her new project, called the Atlas of Space, she’s borrowed more than a decade of data compiled by the likes of NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey and other science organizations to create some of the most accurate maps of the solar system that will fit on your bedroom wall.
This is our solar system in macro. Over the coming weeks, Lutz also plans to share some more intimate views of Earth’s nearest cosmic neighbors, including topographic maps of Mercury and Venus. While these lovely maps may not take you to another world, they’ll probably blow your mind a little bit.