Solar System Simulator 58
Greylark writes "The Solar System Simulator lets you see a number of different planets and moons from a number of different positions in the solar system, at any day and time in a 800 year period." This is very cool, and even though it's been around for a while, we don't seem to have run it before.
Earth transiting Jupiter (Score:2)
I discovered and played with this some time back. Got a really nice screenshot of Earth transiting Jupiter (do the geometry -- it's a hard shot to get IRL). Pretty cool.
ssystem is neat in that you can scoot around to different PoVs, but the navigation is a bit tricky -- acceleration and decelleration, but no space anchor you can just throw out to stop you, or easy means of going to a particular location (unless it's near a major body).
Another cool tool if you're into the exploring stuff is xaos. Especially the random-dot stereograms. Mandlebrot never looked so good.
What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
Re:all I wanna say is... (Score:1)
OpenUniverse (Score:2)
Re:Elite II Frontier did that (Score:1)
Re:Ever been to the Hayden Planetarium?? SGI+Zeiss (Score:2)
it's just not *rewarding* to be a member of the viewing public. I saw that thing and I wanted to be the guy that put it together and zoomed around the universe to make the film.
The walkway after the big bang show is sweet though - you go down a spiral representing the history of the universe, with a constant time span per linear distance. You see telescope photos along the way of objects from that time thanks to the long travel time of light reaching us. And near the end, there's a human hair representing the entire recorded history of Earth. I probably spent about a half hour on that walk looking at the photos, reading the descriptions, and talking with the employee who was there to answer questions for people leaving the show. He had nothing else to do between shows so it was pretty interesting.
The other thing I like about that walkway is that it's like running the gauntlet for a creationist
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Homeplanet , a nice (Windows) program (Score:1)
Tee hee. (Score:1)
Since when did that become an issue?
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Tracking Stuff.... (Score:2)
Re:Tracking Stuff.... (Score:2)
Heavens-Above.com [heavens-above.com]
This works no matter wheren you are.
Old Mac Simulator (Score:1)
xephem (Score:1)
Elite II Frontier did that (Score:2)
There was a mid-nineties DOS game called Elite II Frontier that included a fine solar system simulator. You could either fly around and see the planets "yourself" or there was an in-game 3D map that could show orbits and planets at any position in time, with animation.
This was all largely written by David Braben, the author of the original Elite game. It was a fine work of art, if a bit idiosyncratic. Rendering was done in software, in a way that was not rying to be photorealistic. The game blended reality with fiction, so I have no idea how accurate the solar system simulator was.
Pavlos
Starry Night Backyard (Score:2)
Try too see the sky on 11/2/0001 AD (Score:1)
http://members.aol.com/humblemagi/
Re:galaxy simulator? (Score:2)
It seems to have changed quite a bit since I first saw it. Now seems to be more of an educational tool/encyclopedia..
Orrery (Score:3)
A model of a solar or planetary system is called an orrery.
A Java Orrery Applet [cuug.ab.ca]
Another Java Orrery Applet [schoolsobs...ory.org.uk]
If you're looking for these, including this word in your search will find a lot more. Many types of orrery have been made of brass for hundreds of years.
Another little something (Score:3)
The Good Reverend
I'm different, just like everybody else. [michris.com]
Re:Similar (and not so similar) Stuff (Score:1)
In AutoCAD (R14 IIRC), there was a drawing solar.dwg which was a movie of the solar system at work. You could add your own planets and give them all weird masses and initial velocities. Then you just sat back and watched them crash into each other and stuff. I think it was only in 2D though.
Re:Tracking Stuff.... (Score:2)
Another great site for those who are interested in this stuff is Ron Dantowitz's Sky Show [skyshow.com]. Ron has pioneered some inexpensive methods for getting diffraction-limited images and video from mass-market amateur telescopes and video equipment. You, too, can make a recognizeable movie or snapshot of the shuttle and/or ISS as they pass overhead.
I wanna see what happens at the end (Score:1)
Re:I wanna see what happens at the end (Score:1)
Re:Another little something (Score:2)
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/. effect reverses approach of news. (Score:2)
Have you ever thought about a cache system for all the links similar to what google provides?
It's The Greatest Thing Since... (Score:2)
Quoth the Editor:
Great, does this mean a flood of stories about things that: (1) have been around forever, (2) qualify as "very cool", but (3) haven't suffered at the hands of slashdot's editorial staff?
If so, I heartily recommend sliced bread [notmuch.com] (or, things surpassing sliced bread [google.com])for the next "joy of" story...
Re:/. effect reverses approach of news. (Score:2)
Need XML expertise? crism consulting [maden.org]
Re:Is it me, or is this old? (Score:1)
Re:Similar (and not so similar) Stuff (Score:1)
SSystem (Score:1)
Visible Solar System (Score:2)
Ever been to the Hayden Planetarium?? SGI+Zeiss!! (Score:1)
http://www.sgi.com/features/2000/feb/hayden/index
http://www.amnh.org/rose/digitaldome.html [amnh.org]
Yeah, yeah, I know the jokes... Plane-Arium. And yeah, yeah, SGI doesn't include their compilers with thier OS... but it's still the coolest thing I have ever visited.
High School Physics Project (Score:1)
I suppose that for the most part, this doesn't matter because this NEW! IMPROVED! version is 2.5-D (unless it's got a voxel display). Bah.
I wonder if that old one is still available or if it has an Xlib version... intriguing... that make an interesting project for someone.
Re:It's The Greatest Thing Since... (Score:1)
Re:Does Slashdot have any consideration???? (Score:1)
Re:Orrery (Score:2)
Casio used to make a watch with an orrery on it, the Cosmo Phase. I don't see it on their web pages now. The display provides a resolution of only 12 positions for each planet. Halley's Comet is shown too, and there's a list of solar eclipses.
Among its other features, you can advance or reverse the planetary motions to future and past dates by pressing a button. As you hold down the button, the motions speed up several steps, until the planets are whizzing around the solar system. Some engineer designed a funny behavior at this point -- if you let go of the button, the planets coast to a stop, as if there were real inertia and friction in the display.
all I wanna say is... (Score:1)
Re:Ask yourself (Score:2)
"Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem."
(found on a bulletin board at Fermi Lab)
I think that about sums it up.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Virtual Galaxy, etc. (Score:2)
Then there is this Freeware Dos program Virtual Galaxy [netwave.net] which let's you navigate among the local stars. This one is okay, but needs to be updated to allow for a better grade of graphics. Worth checking out, though. Actually has the most stuff as far as science data goes. Maybe an open source project can be made from it.
There is also this little page [limber.org], a nice collection of vrmls for the local area of the Milky way
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Same thing...only you can take it with you! (Score:1)
Really great for romantic evenings with other geeks!
Handy Research tool (Score:1)
Re:Elite II Frontier did that (Score:1)
I simply loved that game, most of all for its realism. Not only the accurate simulation of the solar system, but the pure size of the simulated universe. Damnit, the game fits nicely on a 1.44M floppy, yet contains an almost complete replica of the entire galaxy! Granted, most of the star systems would have to be based on guesses, but never the less.
Then the newtonian flight engine - real space flight simulation. Run out of fuel? Tough luck! You won't stop and float dead in space - you will slam into your destination planet at the same speed you had when you ran out. Dogfights? Bah!
Bottom line, my all time favourite game. 'Nuff rambling.
Now, I guess I'll have to mention OpenUniverse [openuniverse.org], just so I don't get modded off topic here. Real great opensource solar system simulator. Gotta try it.
Open Universe Solar System simulator.. (Score:1)
Now if I could only get it to compile on my RedHat 7 system, Id be happy.. It works for me on winblows.. :(
Very cool.. dont let my griping dissuade you from checking it out...
neurotech at iname dot com
Is it me, or is this old? (Score:2)
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Slashdotted System Simulator (Score:1)
2. Put this system name into the address line of your browser.
3. Keep hitting refresh.
4. Repeat.
5. After 3 days, point the hosts entry back to a real system.
There's another simulation... (Score:1)
Astronomy simulation software (Score:1)
Re:Tracking Stuff.... (Score:1)
An Oldie, but a Goodie (Score:1)
Another NASA Solar System Simulator (Score:1)
It's a wonderful web (Score:1)
What great timing! (Score:1)
Re:Another little something (Score:1)
There was a shuttle launch yesterday (Fri, the day the poster commented). NASA's servers are always clobbered when a bird is about to go up.
galaxy simulator? (Score:2)
Re:Why stop there? (Score:1)
quantum physics makes this impossible
Does Slashdot have any consideration???? (Score:1)
*very* cool ... (Score:1)
The same system is used to calculate the present position of the Cassini probe [nasa.gov], as well as the present position of the Mars Odyssey [nasa.gov] probe.
As an aside, the solar system is actually a chaotic system, so the simulator would likely lose accuracy outside of plus/minus a few thousand years from now.
Similar (and not so similar) Stuff (Score:3)
If you get Home Planet, other useful things are NISTime (freeware time synch program from NIST) available here [nist.gov], and you can get two-line satellite tracking (TLE) info (also useful at the Earth and Moon Viewer site) from NORAD's satellite catalog here [af.mil]. It's all text files, and there are several that are designed for automated downloads for the real fanatics.
In general, everything is surprisingly simple, and it doesn't take much to, say, get the latest telemtry on Endeavor (STS-100) here [nasa.gov], cut-and-paste it into a Home Planet satellite database (text file), and see exactly where the shuttle is.
Why stop there? (Score:1)
"Leave the strategizing to those of use with planet-sized brains." -Tycho
Ask yourself (Score:1)
For many a years worth of time based on time we all have come to love those great folks at NASA. We've had greatfullified programs that excelified our great countries space race. Its what I call the Great Space Coaster.
We as a people have had priveledgeded the witnessingness of the Challenger, and that other space shuttle from that Tom Hanks movie, and it is with the great concedence, we have also landed men on the moon.
There is a time, hispanically speaking however, we must come together in togetherness, and together we shall be
Together.
People of America it is with my great pleasure under order of Vice President Dick Cheney, are ordering the halting of carbon monixide protectional fundingness of programs, that we have, funded, in order to maximitizify our great space programs into something more than just a Star Trek dream.
But more into a realityness of the American Star Wars nuclear weapons defense system at the low cost of 1 trillion (*smirking Dr Evil grin*), no 1 billion dollars. This my fellow Americans, and hispanically acquired Americans hombres, will assist our great nation, with the protection of the people's republic of China.
Yours truly,
Resident Goerj Boosh