As part of a personal project I’m designing a fictitious solar system, as realistically as I possibly can. To that end, I’ve been researching every site I can find to get as much data as possible on the orbital properties of the planets and moons in our system. My end goal is to be able to accurately calculate (assuming I’ve input enough of the pertinent information into the equation (whatever that equation may be)) to accurately predict/depict the orbits of 2 planets around a star and four moons around one of the planets. Then I’d like to be able to determine the orbital periods of each of the moons so that I could determine realistic, albeit imaginary, calendars for each of the moons and planets.
But enough back-story. My question is this: Does anyone know of some sort of very sophisticated software out there (preferably for PC) that would allow me to calculate all this? Bonus points if the software could actually give me a graphic representation of the system so that I could tell visually if my planets were going to collide or get thrown out of orbit or if the central star would destroy them in periodic flares or whatever.
Now, I know I could fudge the data since this is an imaginary solar system, but I’d really like to be able to keep as close to a realistic, scientific model as possible. I’ve scoured the 'Net and have come across innumerable applets and text pages describing made-up solar systems, and I’ve found software for our real solar system, but I haven’t found any software for made-up solar systems that allows me to enter multiple variables in order to give me quite the degree of freedom I’m describing.
Sorry for the long-winded query. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
I could have given you a few good titles before I wiped my Firefox shortcuts (due to interference at work) so instead I’ll point out the Wikipedia category for astronomy software.
Somewhere in the free games section of Wikipedia there’s a free game based on actual orbital mechanics for flying aircraft and spaceships with a high degree of reality if that helps, I’ll post the name if I can find it.
That’s the one, Orbiter. I was going to give it and another few Elite style games that were under the free games category a whirl, but I don’t seem to have much time to do so and I keep losing the setup files I download
Motions of planets and moons are pretty simple; Kepler’s Laws are a pretty good approximation. It’s certainly good enough for making a calendar.
It’s not an exact solution because it doesn’t take into account the interaction between the planets. But if such interactions are significant, the system is unstable and won’t last long anyway. Probably not long enough to need a calendar.
Of course it may be useful to run a simulation and make sure the system is stable, but if I were doing this project, that’s all I’d use the computer for.
If you’re interested, there’s a short story by (IIRC) Arthur C Clarke set on one of the moons of the gas giants. A hapless character is thrown out of a spaceship orbiting the moon and thinks he’s going to float off into deep space. In a clever move to scare him witless the crew have ejected him at the right altitude so that he simply orbits the moon and is collected later. Can’t remember the name at present though unfortunately :smack:
Pushkin, what you mention happening in the story is really easy to do. In fact, it’d be very difficult to throw a person out in such a way that he would float off into deep space. I’m certain that Clarke knew this, and his heroes probably did as well, so I presume that the castaway was a non-technical person who was getting somewhat pointy-haired?
