Orbit2.0 🌌

A modular, minimalistic, and physically accurate orbital simulator.
Experience as a modern interactive web app or classic desktop Python/matplotlib animation. Powered by symplectic Velocity-Verlet integration, Flask, and vanilla JS.

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Table of Contents

• Overview
• Screenshots / GIFs
• Features
• Architecture
• Quickstart
• Editing or Adding Bodies
• What's New in 2.0
• Educational Value
• Future Work
• Known Issues
• Contributing
• License
• Credits

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Overview

Orbit2.0 simulates orbital motion using energy-conserving Velocity-Verlet integration for long-term orbital stability. Built around a lightweight, performance-focused architecture designed for clarity, efficiency, and a seamless user experience while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

Experience it as:

• 🖥️ Desktop: Python + Matplotlib animation (for research, teaching, or offline demos).
• 🌐 Web: Flask backend + HTML/JS/CSS frontend (modern interactive simulation).

Both interfaces use the same NumPy-based simulation core for scientific consistency.

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Screenshots / GIFs

Web demo

Body Selection Screen

Matplotlib simulation

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Features

Physics Engine

• Symplectic Velocity-Verlet integration (replaces semi-implicit Euler), numerically stable for long-term orbits.
• Planetary/body data stored in editable bodies.json.

Web / UI

• Dynamic body selection via interactive cards.
• Real-time Canvas animation with buffering and interpolation.
• Server-Sent Events (SSE) for low-latency updates.
• Play/Pause toggle, zoom in/out, configurable trails, starry background, and auto pause on tab change.

Backend & Architecture

• Modular OOP physics core (simulation.py).
• Flask backend serves snapshots to web; Matplotlib mode remains fully supported.

Other

• Fully responsive design for desktop & mobile.
• Clean separation of code, data, and UI for maintainability.
• Open-source.

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Quickstart

Clone & Install

git clone https://github.com/Root3141/Orbit.git
cd Orbit
pip install -r requirements.txt

Run Web App

python app.py

Open http://localhost:5000 or view the live demo here↗.

Desktop (Matplotlib) Mode

python sim.py

Architecture

   [bodies.json]
        |
+---------------------+
|   simulation.py     |  <-- Shared OOP simulation engine (NumPy + Verlet)
+---------------------+
      |            |
[Matplotlib]  [Flask backend/API]
                   |
             [HTML/JS frontend]

Editing or Adding Bodies

All celestial object data lives in bodies.json.
Add, remove, or edit entries - changes are reflected instantly in both interfaces.

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What's New in 2.0

Feature	v1.0	v2.0 (Current)
Integration	Semi-implicit Euler	Velocity-Verlet
Data	Hardcoded	Editable JSON file
Visualization	Matplotlib only	Web + Matplotlib
Architecture	Flat script	Modular, shared core, clean separation
UI/UX	Static plots	Modern, animated, interactive web UI

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Educational Value

Orbit2.0 is ideal for learning:

• Visualizes Newtonian mechanics and orbital dynamics.
• Helps students experiment with orbital parameters and see real-time effects.
• Encourages hands-on learning with minimal setup.

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Future Work

• Modularize frontend JS/CSS for maintainability
• Expose user-configurable options (timestep, colors, trail memory)
• Expand bodies.json to include moons, comets, dwarf planets
• Optional: Web Workers/WebGL support for performance
• Add multi-user support

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Known Issues

• On the deployed web version (Render), resuming a paused simulation may occasionally jump ahead instead of continuing from the pause point before proceeding smoothly. This does not occur when running locally, where it resumes as expected.

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome!
For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you’d like to improve.

License

MIT License

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Credits

Developed by Aaryan Aaloke