With this desktop application, you can simulate the solar system. Observe how the planets move or investigate how a heavy object passing by disturbs the orbits.
This program
- renders the ecliptic, so that the solar system is seen from above.
- uses accurate physical properties of the planets and their orbits.
- calculates the Keplerian orbits of all planets using Runge-Kutta 4th order integration.
- conserves energy and angular momentum sufficiently well.
- shows orbital parameters as tooltips of the planets.
- handles collisions between planets.
Note that the planet images are not to scale.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
+/- |
Speed up/slow down the time |
Page up/Page down |
Zoom in/out |
| Arrow keys | Move |
0 |
Stop/resume |
Home |
Reset view |
o |
Toggle orbits |
Esc |
Quit |
- Python: Pygame and NumPy
- GNU Fortran compiler
Build the Fortran helper library first with make. Then start the application with ./planets.py.