Solar System 3D Animation

A comprehensive 3D visualization of our solar system including planets, moons, asteroid belts, and the Oort cloud implemented in Python using Matplotlib.

Features

• Full 3D representation of the solar system
• Accurate orbital mechanics based on Kepler's laws
• Includes all planets and major moons
• Visualization of:
  • Asteroid Belt
  • Hildas Group
  • Jupiter Trojans
  • Kuiper Belt
  • Inner Oort Cloud (Hills Cloud)
  • Outer Oort Cloud
• Dynamic camera with smooth zoom
• Multiple output formats (GIF, 1080p MP4, 4K MOV)
• Light and dark theme options

Mathematical Physics

Orbital Mechanics

The simulation uses Kepler's laws of planetary motion to calculate orbital positions:

1. Kepler's First Law: Orbits are elliptical with the Sun at one focus where:

   • r = distance from the sun
   • a = semi-major axis
   • e = eccentricity
   • θ = true anomaly

2. Kepler's Second Law: Equal areas are swept in equal times

3. Kepler's Third Law: The square of the orbital period is proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis

3D Position Calculation

The position of celestial bodies is calculated using:

graph TD
    A[Orbital Elements] --> B[Calculate in Orbital Plane]
    B --> C[Apply Inclination]
    C --> D[Apply Ascending Node]
    D --> E[Final 3D Position]

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Position calculation formula:

Where:

• Ω = ascending node
• i = inclination
• r = orbital radius
• θ = orbital angle

System Architecture

classDiagram
    class Config {
        +SETTINGS: dict
        +frames: int
        +camera_distance: float
        +planets: dict
        +asteroid_counts: dict
    }
    class SolarSystemAnimation3D {
        +init_positions()
        +update(frame)
        +calculate_3d_position()
        +calculate_visibility()
        +animate()
        +save()
        +save1080p()
        +save4k()
    }
    Config -- SolarSystemAnimation3D

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Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• NumPy
• Matplotlib
• FFmpeg (for video output)

Installation

pip install numpy matplotlib
# For video output
apt-get install ffmpeg  # Linux
brew install ffmpeg    # macOS

Usage

Basic usage:

from complete_solar_system_3d import SolarSystemAnimation3D

# Create animation
solar_system = SolarSystemAnimation3D(style='default')

# Display animation
solar_system.animate()

# Save as GIF
solar_system.save("solar_system.gif")

# Save as 1080p video
solar_system.save1080p("solar_system_1080p.mp4")

# Save as 4K video
solar_system.save4k("solar_system_4k.mov")

Customization

You can modify the Config.SETTINGS dictionary to:

• Adjust animation frames
• Change camera behavior
• Modify planet/moon properties
• Adjust asteroid population sizes

Performance Notes

• The animation is computationally intensive, especially with large asteroid populations
• 4K rendering requires significant memory and processing power
• Consider reducing asteroid counts for smoother performance

License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify for your own projects!