AstroAcademia: Free 3D Solar System & Orbital Gravity Simulator Online: Lab Worksheet, Solved Exercises & 3D Guide
Interactive 3D Solar System simulator in real time. Explore Kepler's laws, planetary orbits, eclipses, escape velocity, and space missions free in your browser.
Step-by-Step Guided Exercises with AstroAcademia
🎯 Learning Objectives
- Understand the core principles of Solar System Astronomy through direct manipulation.
- Drag to orbit the 3D viewport, select celestial bodies, and adjust simulation time scale.
- Verify theoretical predictions against numerical simulation outputs.
🧪 Experimental Procedure (15 min)
- Launch AstroAcademia in a parallel tab and observe the baseline configuration.
- Modify one control variable at a time while keeping others constant (ceteris paribus).
- Solve the 3 verification problems below and check the step-by-step solutions.
📝 Solved Exam & Lab Problems (Click to reveal solution)
Exercise 1 (Conceptual Analysis): Why are orbits elliptical? ▼
Step-by-Step Solution: Satisfies angular momentum conservation under central inverse-square gravitational fields.
Verification in simulator: Open AstroAcademia and test the boundary parameters.
Exercise 2 (Practical Application): What is 1 Astronomical Unit (AU)? ▼
Step-by-Step Solution: Mean Earth-Sun orbital distance, approximately 149.6 million kilometers.
Instructional Tip: Drag to orbit the 3D viewport, select celestial bodies, and adjust simulation time scale.
Exercise 3 (Critical Synthesis): What does Kepler Third Law predict? ▼
Step-by-Step Solution: That orbital period squared is proportional to semi-major axis cubed (T² ∝ a³).
Real-Time Interaction
Drag to orbit the 3D viewport, select celestial bodies, and adjust simulation time scale.
Scientific Rigor
Designed for secondary, high school, and university students to grasp complex STEM phenomena intuitively.
Zero Install (WebGL)
Runs instantly inside your browser on PC, tablet, or smartphone without plugins or account setup.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Why are orbits elliptical?
Satisfies angular momentum conservation under central inverse-square gravitational fields.
What is 1 Astronomical Unit (AU)?
Mean Earth-Sun orbital distance, approximately 149.6 million kilometers.
What does Kepler Third Law predict?
That orbital period squared is proportional to semi-major axis cubed (T² ∝ a³).
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