The map
The whole planet, navigable — free for everyone.
One day, Aethon will host a living map of the entire Earth — land, caves, and the full ocean. Click anywhere and go deeper: see what's been discovered there, the history behind it, and the view from the spot itself. The deep sea included. One map, many layers — discoveries, geography + famous places, sports venues, community photos: show what you want, or just wander. The more we map, the more there is for everyone to learn.
Explore every frontier.
Ocean, land & caves, the animals, the world's mysteries — and one day, space. Swipe through, or jump straight in.
Explore · the ocean
The Deep
Most of the planet is ocean — and barely 0.001% of the deep has ever been seen. Descend, and find what lies beneath.
Descend →Navigate the world.
Travel to each frontier — pick a station, or filter the map by layer. The full 3D world (and playing it as your character) lands at V1.5.
Home Base — city TBD
Land & caves
It started in Bethlehem — the permanent home base will be one of six US cities. Start here.
Travel by on foot →
The Deep
Ocean
Descend the ocean — what lies beneath.
Travel by submarine →
Beneath
Land & caves
Mountains, caves, and the world below.
Travel by mine train →
World Mysteries
Mysteries
Lost treasures, tombs, the unexplained.
Travel by expedition →
Land Animals
Animals
Care for every animal on land; protect the wild.
Travel by overland rig →
Sea Animals
Animals
Meet, befriend, and protect the sea creatures.
Travel by dive boat →
Space
Space
After Earth — orbital energy + observatories.
Travel by shuttle →
Open Missions
Land & caves
Where people are exploring + giving back.
Travel by any route →
A preview of the world hub. At V1.5 this becomes a real 3D interactive Earth + space — zoom anywhere, switch Game / Real-life, and (signed in) travel it as your character, with friends and live missions on the map.
Explore the deep
Five oceans. Barely a quarter mapped.
Only about 25% of the seafloor has been mapped to modern resolution — we have sharper maps of Mars. Pick a region and meet what lives there, and what we intend to go chart.
Pacific Ocean
10,994 m · Challenger Deep
Who lives here
Vampire squid ~600–900 m
Not a vampire — it eats marine snow and can turn itself inside out to hide.
Dumbo octopus ~3,000–4,000 m
Flaps ear-like fins to swim; lives deeper than almost any octopus.
Pacific footballfish ~600–900 m
An anglerfish that lures prey with a glowing rod on its head.
- Our mission
- Map the Mariana Trench — the deepest place on Earth.
- Why it matters
- The largest, deepest ocean. Its trenches are barely touched.
The priority
The ocean comes first.
Over 80% of the seafloor has never been mapped — we have better maps of Mars — and only about 0.001% of the deep ocean has ever been explored. We want every trench, reef, and vent charted and open to everyone. The deep ocean is the heart of the whole map.
The other ~75% has never been seen at any real detail — we have sharper maps of Mars. That gap is the mission.
Scientists estimate over 90% of ocean species are still unknown — most of life on Earth is in the sea, and we've barely met it.
One map, every layer.
Here's what you'll be able to do once it's live.
Go deeper, anywhere
Click any point on Earth or the ocean floor → zoom into what's there, what was found, and what it looks like.
Discoveries, live
As we explore, finds get added in real time — and streamed, RedZone-style, for anyone to watch.
Your photos on the map
Each place holds a gallery of real photos from the Aethon community — the best rise to the top.
Mystery sites + solved cases
Filter for the world's mysteries — lost treasures, tombs, anomalies — and watch the 'solved' list grow as we find them.
Open to everyone
Free to navigate, built for scientists, students, and the curious. A shared map of one shared world.
How we'll explore: autonomous submarines, AUVs, and mapping drones do the looking — region by region, depth by depth — cataloguing every species we find. The engines fund the build. Follow along as it comes to life.