Gravity & Orbital Motion

This simulation applies Newton’s law of universal gravitation, F = G m₁m₂/r², to a restricted two-body system — one body orbiting a much more massive central body, whose own motion is neglected, the standard simplification used throughout introductory orbital mechanics. From that force, the simulation derives a circular orbit’s real velocity (v = √(GM/r)) and period (T = 2π√(r³/GM)), using the CODATA-recommended gravitational constant G = 6.67430×10⁻¹¹ m³ kg⁻¹ s⁻² (NIST CODATA: physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/cuu/Value?bg) — the exact same equations and constant `@scienceverse/three-core`’s Solar System Explorer uses for its own real orbital mechanics, computed by the shared `@scienceverse/simulations-core` package, not a separate or invented model.

Three parameters — central body mass, orbiting body mass, and orbital radius — are each adjustable within a scientifically valid range (from asteroid- to hypergiant-star-scale masses, and orbital radii up to roughly twice Neptune’s real distance from the Sun). Every recomputation runs in a dedicated Web Worker, off the page’s main thread, so the interface stays responsive while dragging a slider. A shareable link captures the exact current parameters via the simulation’s own versioned state schema. Readers whose browser cannot run canvas rendering, who prefer reduced motion, or who have JavaScript disabled see the real computed values below instead, in an accessible data table.

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