2026-07-23 19:24 UTC
@LilFluff@mastodon.art Planetarium software usually run a massive physics simulation. Each celestial body is assigned at a minimum a mass, position in 3D space, velocity (and possibly more data depending on how detailed the planetarium wants to be), and the physics engine simulates motion from there, via some combination of integration (more accurate, but can become unsolvable for complex scenarios) and discrete time steps (less accurate as steps accumulate, but can handle arbitrary complexity).
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@eishiya@mastodon.art 2026-07-23 19:26
@LilFluff@mastodon.art Then, this 3D space with updated positions is rendered from the observer's vantage point. The bodies can be rendered as just points, or they can be circles, textured spheres, etc, depending on how detailed you want to go. I wouldn't recommend tackling writing this on your own if you're not already familiar with physics simulation and 3D rendering, especially given that great alternatives already exist, as shown by the other replies. (continued)