Mars

About this page

Above is a GPU-accelerated Mars visualization. The scene includes a physically-lit sphere textured with realistic reddish-brown terrain colors, darker volcanic plains, and brighter dust-covered regions. A faint polar ice cap effect is visible near the poles. A dim, inside-out sphere provides the starfield background.

What you’re seeing

Mars rotates at a speed close to Earth’s day length, so its surface features drift past at a comfortable pace. The planet’s axial tilt produces gentle seasonal lighting effects, and the simulated Sun creates visible shading across the surface.

Tech notes

In WebGL2 mode, the visualization uses MeshStandardMaterial with ACES tone mapping, sRGB texture loading, and a small shader hook for color grading. The polar caps are blended procedurally, and the starfield is a simple low-brightness textured sphere. If WebGPU is enabled, the loader will attempt that path; otherwise, it falls back to WebGL2 automatically.

Compatibility

Works on all modern browsers supporting WebGL2. If WebGPU is enabled and available, the loader will attempt to run that version; otherwise, it falls back to WebGL2 automatically.

FAQ

Are the surface details real? The colors and broad features are based on Mars spacecraft imagery, but this is a stylized real-time rendering, not a photogrammetric model.

Is the polar cap accurate? It’s an artistic approximation, not a physically evolving seasonal cap.

Credits

Inspired by Mars imagery from NASA, ESA, and planetary visualization tools, adapted for smooth WebGL2 rendering.