Universe Sandbox - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Universe Sandbox is an interactive space gravity simulator. Using Universe Sandbox, one can see the effects of gravity on objects in the universe and run scale simulations of our Solar System

Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...

, various galaxies

Galaxy

A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...

or other simulations, while at the same time, interacting and maintaining control over gravity, time

Time

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....

, and other objects in the universe (moons, planets, asteroids, comets, black hole

Black hole

A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...

s, etc.) Currently this software is only available for Windows based PCs, however the developer expressed interest into expanding on the range of platforms Universe Sandbox can be used with.

Universe Sandbox was designed and is developed by Dan Dixon, who worked on this educational project for over fifteen years before launching version 1.0 in May 2008. Universe Sandbox version 2.0 was released on May 2, 2010. Version 2.1 was released on Steam on Friday April 29, 2011.

Features

This is a list of the key features of Universe Sandbox as of version 2.0:

Interactive n-body gravity simulator
Simple tutorial introduction
Several step-by-step activities included
All units are measured in real units: kilograms, meters, seconds, etc.
User control of the speed of time, gravity and other factors
Simulation files are editable
3D Mode for use with red & cyan 3D glasses (anaglyph stereoscopic
Anaglyph image
Anaglyph images are used to provide a stereoscopic 3D effect, when viewed with glasses where the two lenses are different colors, such as red and cyan. Images are made up of two color layers, superimposed, but offset with respect to each other to produce a depth effect...

)
Support for 3D DLP HD televisions
Multiple color modes to help visualize and differentiate speeds and accelerations
Two collision modes, Bounce and Combine
Scaled ring systems of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...

, Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

, Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...

, and Neptune
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...

, and generate rings around bodies
Particle grids can be used to create 2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...

or 3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

particle grids and then you warp/distort the grids and watch the gravitational effects by adding in moving planets or other objects (not in version 2)
"Line-up/chart" mode option shows a visual size comparison of the star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

s and planets
Includes the full sky panoramic view of the Milky Way from Axel Mellinger's photography of the Milky Way
Can capture high resolution screen shots

Limitations

This is a list of a few limitations of Universe Sandbox:

Only runs on Windows based PCs
The bounce collision mode is unrealistic
When large bodies collide there is so much energy and heat that the bodies would melt together
Ring positions relative to planets and moons are approximated
Planet axis orientation relative to the solar plane is approximated and often inaccurate
Galaxy simulations don't consider dark matter or account for the galaxy rotation problem
Galaxy rotation curve
The rotation curve of a galaxy can be represented by a graph that plots the orbital velocity of the stars or gas in the galaxy on the y-axis against the distance from the center of the galaxy on the x-axis....
The simulation does not factor in the theory of relativity
Theory of relativity
The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity. However, the word relativity is sometimes used in reference to Galilean invariance....

. It is possible to accelerate objects to a velocity thousands of times faster than the speed of light.

Simulations

Many simulations are included with Universe Sandbox, both realistic and fictional simulations.

Our Solar System which includes the 8 planets, 5 minor planets, 160+ moons, and hundreds of asteroids
The Andromeda & Milky Way galaxy collision which will occur in 4.5 billion years
The 100 largest bodies in our Solar System
The nearest 1000 stars to our Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
The nearest 70 Galaxies to the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
A visual size comparison of the largest known star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...

s and planets
The Apophis asteroid passing near Earth in the year 2029
The comet, Shoemaker Levy 9’s collision with Jupiter
The 2008 KV42
2008 KV42
', nicknamed Drac , is a trans-Neptunian object orbiting the Sun in retrograde motion and almost perpendicular to the ecliptic: it has a 104-degree inclination. This odd orbit suggests that may have been perturbed inwards from the Oort cloud...

, a recently discovered comet with a retrograde motion
Retrograde motion
Retrograde motion is motion in the direction opposite to the movement of something else, and is the contrary of direct or prograde motion. This motion can be the orbit of one body about another body or about some other point, or the rotation of a single body about its axis, or other phenomena such...

orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
Moons converging into a single planet
The Rho Cancri
Rho Cancri
Rho Cancri is the Bayer designation shared by two stars in the constellation Cancer:* 55 Cancri Right ascension Declination * 58 Cancri Right ascension Declination...

Solar System (55 Cancri) – which is a star with 5 known planets
The Pioneer
Pioneer 1
On October 11, 1958, Pioneer 1 became the first spacecraft launched by NASA, the newly formed space agency of the United States. The flight was the second and most successful of the three Thor-Able space probes.- Spacecraft design :...

& Voyager
Voyager program (Mars)
The Voyager Mars Program was a planned series of unmanned NASA probes to the planet Mars. The missions were planned, as part of the Apollo Applications Program, between 1966 and 1968 and were scheduled for launch in 1974–75...

encounters with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune
Visual Lagrange points of the Earth & Moon
Gamma Ray Burst locations

In the media

Universe Sandbox was used for several of the gravity simulations of galaxies colliding in a recent galaxy series special, “Cosmic Collisions” which first aired on January 28, 2009 on the Discovery Channel. (The second animation in this particular video was created using Universe Sandbox.)

Similar Applications

External links