About Universe Simulator

Universe Simulator: A Playground for Celestial Mechanics is a project of Adam Eubanks created in 2021.

Vision

The vision of Universe Simulator is to increase accessibility and understanding of the equations that govern the Universe. Too often physics is taught through abstract equations that many students may lack an intuitive basis for. By allowing students to see how physical laws are manifested in the movement of celestial bodies, abstract equations become general intuitions. This is essential because it fosters a greater understanding and appreciation for the magnificence of our universe. If you would like to learn more about the methodology behind the creation of Universe Simulator, please view this paper on the equations that were chosen to be represented in the simulation, as well as the history behind them.

Limitations

While efforts were made to make Universe Simulator both playable and physically representative of real planets, compromises were required to be made in order to preserve computational efficiency and playablility. For instance, Universe Simulator

  • Is on a scale of 10^9 m, but only 10^14 kg, meaning that objects are much less dense than they would be in real life
  • Can only represent object masses up to 10^23 kg, which is between the mass of the moon nad the mass of Mercury.
  • Does not have thourough animations or representations of collisions.
  • Is not 100% accurate due to problems with double precision, computational complexity, and the three-body problem.