Earth Science Tools

Four modes: magnitude scales (Richter Mₗ, moment magnitude M𝑤, energy), energy comparison (each step = 31.6× more energy, logarithmic bar chart), Modified Mercalli Intensity I-XII with descriptions, and Richter magnitude from seismograph amplitude. Presets include Minor M3 through Great M8, 1906 San Francisco M7.9, and 2011 Japan M9.1.

Estimate annual CO₂ emissions from transportation (car miles, fuel type, flights), home energy (electricity, heating, AC), diet (meat consumption, food waste), and lifestyle (shopping, recycling). Pie chart breakdown, country comparison bar chart, trees-to-offset and equivalent-driving metrics. Five presets: Average American, Eco-Conscious, Heavy Commuter, Frequent Flyer, Work from Home.

Three modes: interactive HR diagram with 23 real stars (click to see properties), stellar evolution pathway from nebula to end state (white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole based on initial mass), and star properties calculator (luminosity L∝M^3.5, radius, lifetime t∝M^-2.5, apparent magnitude). Six presets: Sun, Red Dwarf (0.3 M☉), Sirius A (2 M☉), Blue Giant (20 M☉), Betelgeuse (15 M☉), Supergiant (50 M☉). Includes spectral class colour strip and SVG star visualization.

Three modes: plot a single star on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram from temperature, radius, and mass (Stefan-Boltzmann luminosity, spectral class O-M, absolute magnitude, HR region); compare multiple stars side by side; and browse the spectral atlas with typical properties for each class. 23 reference stars plotted, 6 presets from Proxima Centauri to Rigel.

Two modes: view emission spectra for hydrogen (Balmer series), helium, sodium, neon, and mercury with color-coded spectral lines on a visible-spectrum SVG; and calculate redshift z, recession velocity, Hubble-law distance, and lookback time from rest and observed wavelengths. Six presets from nearby galaxies to quasars.

Compute galactic distance two ways. Distance modulus (Cepheid, Type Ia supernova) and Hubble's Law with a live v vs d diagram.

Two modes: Transit Method calculates transit depth (Rp/R★)², orbital period via Kepler's third law, transit duration, and impact parameter with an interactive SVG showing planet crossing the star disk and light curve. Habitable Zone mode shows inner/outer HZ boundaries, equilibrium temperature, and whether a planet is in the zone with a top-down orbital diagram. Six presets: Earth-Sun, Hot Jupiter, Super-Earth, TRAPPIST-1e, Kepler-22b, Mini-Neptune.

Explore Earth's energy budget and greenhouse effect. Adjust CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O concentrations, albedo, and solar intensity to see equilibrium temperature. View radiative forcing breakdowns, enable water vapor and ice-albedo feedbacks, and project temperature through 2100 under RCP 4.5, RCP 8.5, and Paris 1.5°C scenarios.

Analyze water quality by measuring pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phosphate, turbidity, and temperature. Calculate a Water Quality Index and simulate eutrophication with nutrient loading, algal blooms, and dissolved oxygen crashes.

Explore atmosphere layers, temperature profiles, pressure changes with altitude, temperature inversions, ozone chemistry, and planetary energy balance. Visualize the troposphere through thermosphere.

Compare coal, gas, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass across CO₂ emissions, capacity factor, land use, and levelized cost. Build custom grid mixes and analyze lifecycle impacts.

Model water budgets, aquifer cross-sections, contaminant plume dispersion, and well drawdown. Explore Darcy's law, SCS curve number infiltration, and Theis pumping equations interactively.

Calculate soil loss with the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Compare erosion across land uses and see how conservation practices like terracing, contour farming, and cover crops reduce soil loss.

Explore plate boundary types, the rock cycle, radiometric dating with decay curves, and Earth's internal layers. View cross-sections of divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries with seismic velocity profiles.

Explore the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles with interactive diagrams. Adjust human impact sliders to see how fossil fuels, fertilizers, and deforestation alter reservoir sizes and flux rates.

Compare conventional, organic, IPM, and permaculture farming systems. Analyze tradeoffs between crop yield, soil health, water quality, carbon footprint, and biodiversity with radar charts.

Explore the lunar cycle, eclipse conditions, and seasonal day length. Visualize moon illumination across 8 phases, compute solar and lunar eclipse geometry from node angles, and calculate day length and solar altitude from the sunrise equation.

Three modes: compute angular resolution (Rayleigh criterion), Dawes limit, magnification, focal ratio, true FOV, exit pupil, and limiting magnitude for a single telescope; compare two telescopes side by side; and find optimal eyepieces from a standard set. SVG ray diagram and warning badges for over-magnification.

Explore the water cycle with an animated diagram, predict weather from temperature/humidity/wind/clouds, identify cloud types, and compare seasonal patterns across climates

See how water, wind, ice, and plants reshape the land over time. Compare erosion agents, label 8 landforms, and explore the difference between weathering and erosion

Watch shadows change length and direction as the sun moves across the sky. Compare daylight hours at the equator and mid-latitudes across seasons. Shadow quiz challenges

Learn about weather hazards like storms, floods, and wildfires. Match hazards to safety measures and design shelters to protect against extreme weather.

Match fossils to ancient habitats and discover what Earth looked like millions of years ago. Explore trilobites, ammonites, fern leaves, and more. Compare rock layers to see how environments changed over time.

Explore where all of Earth's water is with interactive pie charts and bar graphs. Learn about saltwater, freshwater, ice caps, groundwater, and why clean water is so precious.

Tap stars to connect constellation lines in an interactive night sky. Rotate through the seasons to see which constellations appear and learn why the sky changes throughout the year.

Sort renewable and nonrenewable resources, practice the Reduce/Reuse/Recycle/Landfill sorting game, and plan a town's energy and water use to protect the environment.

Tap rock layers to discover their age, rock type, and fossils. Arrange layers in order from oldest to newest and reconstruct what events - eruptions, floods, erosion - formed each one.

Classify physical and chemical changes as reversible or irreversible. Sort materials like melting ice, baking bread, and burning wood into the correct category and see evidence for each change.

Explore how waves carry information using a simplified flash code. Learn which wave types (sound, light) can pass through different materials, then encode and decode secret messages.

Discover how gravity and air resistance affect falling speed. Predict which objects fall faster, drop them from a virtual height, and explore why objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

Discover why stars look brighter or dimmer based on both their actual luminosity and their distance from Earth. Move a star closer and farther to see how apparent brightness changes.

Classify Earth events as fast (earthquakes, floods) or slow (erosion, canyon formation) changes. Sort events onto a geologic timeline and explore the timescales of Earth processes.

Explore a physical map to identify mountains, valleys, plains, coasts, deltas, canyons, peninsulas, and islands. Match landforms to the processes that formed them.

Explore how volcanic eruptions, droughts, wildfires, and other events cascade across Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Grades 4-5.

Observe weather conditions and sort clothing for sunny, rainy, snowy, cloudy, and windy days. Practice matching your outfit to the weather outside. Grades K-1.

Click any point on a 3D globe to dig a tunnel straight through Earth. See the antipode, fall time, Earth layers with temperature and pressure, and the country on the other side.

Click two points on a world map to find the shortest path between them on Earth's surface. See surface distance, chord distance through Earth, and initial bearing.

See the live day and night boundary on a 3D globe. Drag the time slider to explore how axial tilt causes seasons, and click any location to see sunrise and sunset times.

Click any location on Earth to measure local gravitational acceleration. See how gravity varies with latitude and altitude, calculate your weight, and compare with other planets.

Click an epicenter to animate P-waves and S-waves spreading across Earth. Measure arrival times, see the S-wave shadow zone created by Earth's liquid core, and explore the S-P gap.

Calculate how much Earth curves over any distance and whether a distant object is visible above the horizon. See the geometry with an interactive cross-section diagram.

Explore how Earth's rotation creates time zones. Move the sun to any UTC time, click a location to see solar time versus standard time, and discover rotation speed by latitude.

Track the ISS, Starlink constellation, and GPS satellites live on an interactive 3D globe. See real-time altitude, speed, orbital period, and ground track using SGP4 propagation.

Launch a projectile between any two world cities and see the trajectory arc, max altitude, flight time, Coriolis deflection, and gravity variation by latitude.

Explore the Moon's phase, illumination percentage, rise and set times, current altitude, and sky position for any date and location on Earth. Watch the Moon move across the sky throughout the day.

Explore the paths of 38 notable solar eclipses from 1999 to 2045 on an interactive 3D globe. Filter by total, annular, or hybrid type. Click any path to see duration, width, and region details.

Explore how pressure systems drive global wind patterns. Place High and Low pressure centers on a world map, watch animated geostrophic wind particles, toggle jet stream overlays, and see Coriolis-driven cyclone and anticyclone rotation.

Visualize where people live on an interactive world map. Switch overlays to compare population density, elevation zones, climate types, tectonic plates, and GDP per capita across 60 countries.

Explore light pollution and sky darkness worldwide using the Bortle scale. Click locations to see Milky Way visibility, stars visible, and astronomy quality ratings.

Click to place an earthquake epicenter on the world map, then watch tsunami waves radiate outward. See arrival times and wave heights for 20 coastal cities with real ocean physics.

See what's in the sky directly overhead right now — stars, constellations, planets, and the ISS. Uses your location for accurate real-time sky calculations with a live sky dome view.

Click between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks to explore how heat, pressure, weathering, and melting transform each rock type into another. Includes real examples and geological process explanations.

Explore convergent, divergent, and transform tectonic plate boundaries with animated cross-section diagrams. See how mountains, trenches, rifts, and strike-slip faults form at each boundary type.

Locate earthquake epicenters using P-wave and S-wave arrival times at three seismograph stations. Adjust P and S arrival times for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma stations; the tool computes the S-P time difference, converts it to distance using wave speeds (P=6.0 km/s, S=3.5 km/s), and triangulates the epicenter via Cramer's rule. Displays station positions and calculated epicenter on a grid map. Six presets including shallow, deep, and offshore events.

Explore 12 major ocean currents on an interactive SVG world map including the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, Humboldt, and Antarctic Circumpolar currents. Click any current to see its temperature, speed, depth, and ecological significance. Toggle temperature overlay to see warm and cold current patterns, and switch to thermohaline circulation mode to visualize the global ocean conveyor belt.

Model the global carbon cycle with adjustable flux sliders for fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, ocean uptake, and land sink. View a live SVG reservoir diagram showing atmosphere, ocean, biosphere, and geosphere boxes with flow arrows, and a 100-year CO2 projection chart. Five presets: Pre-industrial, Current (2024), 2050 Moderate Policy, 2050 High Emissions, and Net Zero. Includes temperature anomaly calculation and tipping point warnings.

Analyze climate data for 20 preset cities worldwide using Walter-Lieth style climographs with dual-axis temperature and precipitation. Automatically classifies each city's Köppen climate type (Af, BWh, Cfb, Dfb, ET, and more) and displays the biome name and climate group. Compare two cities side by side, and view statistics including annual mean temperature, annual precipitation, temperature range, warmest and coldest months.

Explore topographic maps with an interactive 3D terrain view and corresponding 2D contour map. Choose from five terrain presets: mountain, valley, plateau, coastal, and volcano. The 3D view uses imperative Three.js with vertex-colored heightmap and OrbitControls for rotation and zoom. Click any point on the 2D map to read its elevation. Adjust the contour interval to see more or fewer contour lines.

Compare spiral, barred spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies side by side. Click a type to see mass range, age, star-formation rate, and a real-world example.

Compare planet sizes and distances. Toggle scale modes, watch orbits move, click any planet for facts.

Adjust the mass of a black hole and visualize the Schwarzschild radius, photon sphere, ISCO, and gravitational light bending. AP Physics and intro general relativity.

Interactive Earth energy budget with the one-layer Stefan-Boltzmann model. Adjust CO2, albedo, solar irradiance, and effective emissivity to see how greenhouse trapping shifts Earth's surface temperature.