How does Mars Move-In use the real Mars?
Written and reviewed by Mars Move-In · Updated October 5, 2026
Each colony sits at real coordinates on Mars. The map's daylight, night lights and shadow direction follow the actual local time and sun position at that spot, and the planet view turns once every 24 hours 37 minutes like Mars does.
Real places
Jezero Crater (18.4°N, 77.6°E) is open now. Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris, Hellas Basin and Utopia Planitia follow, each at its real location, and each opens when the previous colony is 75% settled.
Mars time and light
A Martian day (a sol) lasts 24 hours 39 minutes. We compute Jezero's local solar time with NASA's Mars24 method, so when the colony clock says it's night, it really is night in Jezero.
The made-up parts
The colony, its habitats, rovers and residents are fiction. Nobody can own land on Mars.
Key points
- Real coordinates
- Real local Mars time
- Shadows follow the Martian sun
- The colony itself is fiction
Useful next pages
Common questions
Why is it dark when I visit?+
It's night in Jezero. Come back in a few hours, or watch the lights come on.
Keep exploring
Mars Move-In is an interactive digital colony built on real Martian coordinates, where people and brands claim a plot, build a habitat and get their own Mars address.
A cheap, memorable, shareable presence on a live Mars map, with real-time arrivals, rankings and a game that gives people a reason to come back.
Brands, creators, startups and space fans who want a fun, visible spot in a digital colony on real Mars coordinates, and the bragging rights that come with it.