Interactive Solar System Simulation

Welcome to this interactive 2D simulation of our solar system. This educational tool allows you to explore the planets, their orbits, and their relative speeds. You can pan, zoom, and focus on different celestial bodies to get a better understanding of our cosmic neighborhood.

How to Use

• Pan: Click and drag (or touch and drag) on the canvas to move the view. This allows you to explore different parts of the solar system.
• Zoom: Use your mouse wheel (or pinch to zoom on touch devices) to zoom in and out. Zooming helps you focus on specific celestial bodies or view the entire system.
• Focus: Select a planet from the dropdown menu to center it in your view. The view will follow the planet as it orbits, making it easier to study its motion.
• Planet Info: Hover your mouse over a planet or moon to see a box with more information about it, such as its radius and orbital distance.
• Simulation Speed: Use the slider to speed up or slow down time. This feature is useful for observing long-term orbital patterns or fast interactions.
• Play Demo: Click this button to start an automated tour that showcases the simulation's features and highlights key celestial bodies.
• Reset View: This will return the camera to the default position and zoom level, providing a quick way to reorient yourself.
• Audio: Toggle the background audio on or off. The audio provides an immersive experience and is off by default.
• Launch Single Asteroid: Click this button to launch a single asteroid toward a random celestial body.
• Launch Asteroid Rain: Click this button to launch multiple asteroids in quick succession, creating a spectacular visual effect.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys: Pan the view to explore different areas of the solar system.
• + / - keys: Zoom in and out to focus on specific celestial bodies or view the entire system.
• Spacebar: Pause/Resume the animation to analyze specific moments in the simulation.
• R key: Reset the view to its default position and zoom level.

About the Simulation

This simulation uses synthetic data (stored in a JSON object within the script) to model the orbits of the planets in our solar system. While it aims for educational accuracy in terms of relative orbital periods and distances, it is a simplified 2D representation. The sizes of the planets and the sun are exaggerated for visibility, and the orbits are perfect circles for simplicity.

The core of the simulation is built with HTML5 Canvas and vanilla JavaScript, without relying on external libraries. This makes it lightweight and demonstrates the power of modern web technologies for creating interactive educational content.

Future Directions

This simulation is a foundation for exploring complex systems. Here are some potential improvements and features for the future:

• Elliptical Orbits: Implementing more accurate elliptical orbits based on Kepler's laws of planetary motion.
• Major Moons: Adding major moons for other planets like Jupiter and Saturn to enhance realism.
• 3D View: Creating a full 3D version of the simulation using WebGL for a more immersive experience.
• More Celestial Bodies: Including dwarf planets (like Pluto), asteroids, and comets to expand the scope.
• Real-time Data: Integrating with NASA APIs to show planets in their current positions, making the simulation dynamic and up-to-date.
• Enhanced Information: Providing more detailed information and links to external resources for each celestial body to support educational goals.

Relevance to Biomedical Data Science

While this simulation focuses on celestial mechanics, its principles are highly relevant to biomedical data science:

• Modeling Complex Systems: Just as the solar system is a complex, dynamic system, biological systems (e.g., neural networks, cardiovascular systems) can be modeled using similar principles of motion, interaction, and feedback.
• Data Visualization: The use of interactive visualizations in this simulation mirrors techniques used in biomedical data science to explore large datasets, such as genomic sequences or brain activity patterns.
• Atomic Structure: The orbital mechanics of planets can be analogized to electron orbits in atomic structures, providing a conceptual bridge between astronomy and molecular biology.
• Simulation and Prediction: Predictive modeling, as used here for asteroid trajectories, is a cornerstone of biomedical research, such as predicting disease progression or drug interactions.

This simulation serves as a tool to inspire interdisciplinary thinking, bridging the gap between astronomy and biomedical sciences.