Introduction
When I started building Cosmic Explorer, I thought it would take a few weeks. It took much longer — and I learned more about browser-based 3D rendering than I ever expected.
Cosmic Explorer is a fully interactive 3D solar system that runs in your browser, built with Three.js and vanilla JavaScript. It includes real planetary data, a flyable spaceship, wormhole travel, and a complete asteroid escape mini-game. No downloads. No installs. Just open a tab.
Live demo: https://rtm20.github.io/cosmic-explorer/
The Tech Stack
Everything is built on:
- Three.js for 3D scene management and WebGL abstraction
- Custom GLSL shaders for the wormhole effect and planet atmospheres
- Vanilla JavaScript — no frameworks for the core engine
- Procedural generation for the asteroid fields
- Web Audio API for the ambient soundtrack
The final codebase is approximately 6,000 lines, all handcrafted.
Conclusion
Browser-based 3D is far more capable than most developers give it credit for. If you have been curious about Three.js, WebGL, or real-time 3D in the browser, this project convinced me that the platform is ready for serious interactive experiences.
If you try it out, I would love to know what you think in the comments.
Live: https://rtm20.github.io/cosmic-explorer/
GitHub: https://github.com/rtm20
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