Orbiting Planets Simulation

This project simulates planets orbiting in a solar system using Python and Pygame. It demonstrates gravitational interactions between celestial bodies in a 2D space with an interactive interface.

Features

• Gravitational forces between celestial bodies
• Realistic collision detection between all types of celestial bodies
• Customizable masses, positions, and velocities
• Interactive mode to add planets with a click
• Asteroid creation with elliptical orbits
• "Alien Physics" mode with 7 different creative physics simulations
• Event message log system for feedback
• Semi-transparent UI elements
• Smooth animation with Pygame

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• Pygame module (install with pip install pygame)

How to Run

1. Make sure you have Python installed on your system
2. Install Pygame if you haven't already:

   pip install pygame

3. Run the simulation:

   python solar_system.py

Controls

• Click anywhere: Add a new planet at that position
• ESC key: Quit the simulation
• O key: Toggle orbit display
• T key: Toggle orbit trails
• C key: Toggle circular orbit enforcement
• P key: Toggle alien physics mode
• A key: Add asteroid with elliptical orbit
• +/- keys: Change simulation speed
• S key: Reset simulation speed to normal
• Close window: Exit the program

Advanced Features

Collision System

The simulation includes a sophisticated collision detection system that handles:

• Sun-Planet collisions (sun destroys planets)
• Sun-Asteroid collisions (sun destroys asteroids)
• Planet-Asteroid collisions (planets absorb asteroids)

Alien Physics

When enabled, the simulation cycles through 7 different physics modes every 10 seconds:

• Magnetic Ballet
• Orbital Waltz
• Vibration Samba
• Quantum Tango
• Choreographed Orbits
• Spiral Dance
• Rhythmic Pulsation

Each mode creates unique and visually interesting orbital patterns that defy conventional physics.

Message Log System

A message log in the bottom left corner provides real-time feedback on events in the simulation, including:

• New celestial body creation
• Collisions and destructions
• Physics mode changes
• Setting toggles

Visual Design

• Semi-transparent text for a cleaner interface
• Color-coded status indicators
• Planet trails and orbit visualization options
• Dynamic planet and asteroid naming

Customization

You can modify the parameters in the script to create your own solar systems:

• Change the mass of the sun (Sun class instantiation)
• Modify how planets are created (the add_random_planet function)
• Adjust the initial number of planets
• Change the speed parameter for more stable or chaotic orbits
• Customize the alien physics modes in the calculate_gravity method

How It Works

The simulation consists of four main classes:

1. Body: Base class for all celestial bodies with physics properties
2. Sun: Central gravitational body that other objects orbit around
3. Planet: Regular orbital bodies that can have different colors and sizes
4. Asteroid: Smaller bodies with elliptical orbits and special rendering
5. SolarSystem: Manages all bodies and their interactions

The simulation primarily implements Newton's law of universal gravitation (force = GRAVITY_STRENGTH * first.mass * second.mass / (distance * distance + DISTANCE_DAMPING)), Newton's second law (acceleration = force / mass), orbital velocity inspired by Kepler's laws (orbital_speed = math.sqrt(sun.mass / distance) * orbital_speed_factor), basic kinematics for position and velocity updates, distance calculation using the Euclidean formula, and orbital correction formulas to maintain stable planetary orbits.