Is the solar system realistically modelled?

bitstorm · Jun 29, 2015

Just wondering really, will this be visible inside Elite?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dont-forget-look-up-tomorrow-5968901 said:
Don't forget to look up tomorrow night - Jupiter and Venus will be doing something special

Our solar system's two brightest planets will put on a rare and spectacular nighttime show.

The night sky will be lit up by an extraordinary dance between Jupiter and Venus tomorrow evening.

For one night only above the UK, the two brightest planets in the sky will appear to be dangerously close together - less than the moon's width apart.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dont-forget-look-up-tomorrow-5968901

nicomak · Jun 29, 2015

In 3301 you mean?

I dont know if they are at their correct position for the in-game date(29/06/3301), but it's not the same year anyway.

mossfoot · Jun 29, 2015

It's realistically modeled... but it's also set in 3301. So you're a bit late for that in-game

bitstorm · Jun 29, 2015

nicomak said:
In 3301 you mean?

I'm an idiot. =(

mossfoot · Jun 29, 2015

bitstorm said:
I'm an idiot. =(

Don't feel bad - I like the fact you were that curious to test it out.

In fact, that begs the question as to whether there will be any interesting phenomena to observe in 3301?

- - - Updated - - -

For example, could you see the moon's shadow across the Earths' surface during an eclipse (would there be any eclipse in 3301 to test this against?)

Frop · Jun 29, 2015

Oh, I've only read that the universe is based on the most recent data available, but I didn't see any mention of it being extrapolated to represent the universe in 3301. That'd be pretty nifty.

Flyto · Jun 29, 2015

mossfoot said:
For example, could you see the moon's shadow across the Earths' surface during an eclipse (would there be any eclipse in 3301 to test this against?)

IIRC there are at least a couple of partial solar eclipses each year, so there shoudl be an opportunity. Don't know how to calculate the dates though. Not sure whether the engine would get this right, but am curious now!

Having said this, IIRC all orbits in E : D are circular (is this right, or am I misremembering?! They weren't in Frontier), so the times and dates might not be right.

FuzzySpider · Jun 29, 2015

mossfoot said:
Don't feel bad - I like the fact you were that curious to test it out.

In fact, that begs the question as to whether there will be any interesting phenomena to observe in 3301?

- - - Updated - - -

For example, could you see the moon's shadow across the Earths' surface during an eclipse (would there be any eclipse in 3301 to test this against?)

Yep.

Does anyone own "Universe Sandbox" on Steam? If anyone does and knows how to use it they could simulate it from today and run it forward to 3301.

nicomak · Jun 29, 2015

Flyto said:
IIRC there are at least a couple of partial solar eclipses each year, so there shoudl be an opportunity. Don't know how to calculate the dates though. Not sure whether the engine would get this right, but am curious now!

Having said this, IIRC all orbits in E : D are circular (is this right, or am I misremembering?! They weren't in Frontier), so the times and dates might not be right.

AFAICR they were all circurlar in Frontier, at least most of the time(?). But there may have been some excentricity, ED has excentricity as well, even though usually close to 0 it would seem. I'd need to pay more attention to that though.

But orbits are fixed, planets are just following their path rather than actually 'falling freely'. I wouldnt count on too much accuracy here.

Whiterose · Jun 29, 2015

bitstorm said:
I'm an idiot. =(

lol, no, you are not, as I was watching them last night and even then low in the sky it was pretty impressive.

nicomak · Jun 29, 2015

FuzzySpider said:
Yep.

Does anyone own "Universe Sandbox" on Steam? If anyone does and knows how to use it they could simulate it from today and run it forward to 3301.

Well in Space Engine you can 'also do it', seems "accurate" enough, at least if you go bacward a few years, maybe not 1 thousand years in the future...

3301 :

I let you compare it to ED.

Venus and Jupiter seems at the correct place if you look at the curent date.

Space Engine & Stellarium(from E of France though) - Tonight

Edit : well, one of them is wrong at least, in 3301, In both of them, Uranus & Saturn seems to be "very roughly" in the same place, but not Mecury for some reason.
IN SE on 29/06/3301, Mercury is close to.... Uranus in the Earth's sky.
In stellarium it's not.

bitstorm said:
I'm an idiot. =(

No it aint that bad. ^^