Remember those solar system mobiles and models that populated your science classrooms? Remember how you ripped off Pluto in anger once some jerks (OK, fine, astronomers) decided it was now a just "dwarf planet"? Wait, you didn't do that? OK, that's cool. However, for those of us who would stare at those mobiles and dream of building universes of our own, the new game promoting director Christopher Nolan's upcoming space epic Interstellar allows those fantasies to come true.
The Interstellar game (no other name necessary) is a solar system model builder, yes, but it's also a flight simulator that lets you explore your galaxy and those made by others. You can't actually shoot Matthew McConaughey into space, but the game does allow you to explore the galaxy much like his character does in the movie thanks to input from the film's scientific advisor, theoretical physicist Kip Thorne.
Interstellar, from what we've gathered from the mysterious trailers released so far, ponders what happens when we must wander the cosmos in search of a hospitable planet. Building on that theme, the free online game and mobile app lets you create galaxies that might contain those planets. You add planets, moons, and asteroids, and determine their locations and orbits. Go big, stay small, change a planet's surface—do whatever you want. You can even change the size and colors of your heavenly bodies. There's also a cool red button you can push to "destroy" planets you don't want. Create your world and watch it spin.
Once your perfect universe is finished, you can pilot your own starship through space. It feels a bit like a NASA simulator turned into a game and—because it uses real science—requires that you travel the way an exploratory crew would have to. Navigating around black holes to avoid being drawn into the void? Yes. Avoiding crashing into various bodies? That too. Using gravity to slingshot around and save fuel? You got it. You've even got the option of traveling through wormholes. It's like Galaga, but with Newtonian physics. There are no pew! pew! pew! noises, but we won't judge you for making them at your desk.
The game also provides the option of sharing your solar system for others to explore and traveling through those made by your friends. It doesn't offer the grand majesty of Nolan's movie—that doesn't drop until Nov. 7—but it'll do until then. Check out a trailer for the app above, then head here to play the game yourself. Want more? Check out a new alternative artwork poster for Interstellar below.
