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🌌 Orbital Mechanics
Objective: Create stable orbital systems by placing celestial bodies with appropriate mass and velocity. Experiment with gravity, watch planets orbit stars, and discover the beauty of N-body physics.
Controls:
- Click on empty space to create a new celestial body
- Click and drag to set the initial velocity direction and magnitude (longer drag = faster)
- Scroll wheel to zoom in and out of the simulation
- Middle mouse drag or Ctrl+drag to pan the view
- Adjust the Mass slider before placing to control body mass (larger = more gravity)
- Use the Speed slider to control simulation speed (0= paused, 5= max)
- Adjust the Gravity slider to change the universal gravitational constant
- Click preset buttons for pre-built systems (Solar System, Binary Stars, etc.)
- Toggle trails ON/OFF to see orbital paths
- Touch: tap to place, drag for velocity
Rules: There are no strict rules — this is a sandbox! Experiment with different configurations. Try to create stable orbits, launch probes, or build your own solar system. Watch out for bodies being ejected or crashing into each other!
Tips: Lower mass bodies orbit faster. Higher gravity = tighter orbits. Stable orbits need the right balance of velocity and distance. The energy value shows total system energy (negative = bound, positive = escaping).