CompuServe Thread

#Solar system data?

3 messages in this thread
#173819From: ian mckayJun 5, 1995 8:49 PM
Am wondering where I can find a solar system model-does anyone know of one…possibly in dxf format? Otherwise where might I find x,y,z coords. for each of the nine planets throught their orbits? I would probably just build a 365 frame model as all planets beyond mars take many years to orbit the sun. Any ideas would be most appreciated. ian
#173984From: Gus GrubbaJun 6, 1995 5:25 PM
The orbit "prediction" and derived calculations can be found in a number of astronomy books. There isn't a "model" per se as the position is different every moment. The first version of the Solar Path PXP I wrote will create a DXF path (in real scale) of any body in our solar system. The new version is a KXP and it will position whatever object you want within space (all real scale) in real time (time and date). If you give an entire year, it will plot the position of all solar system bodies in their actual position for the period (you should have an ellipsoid for the Earth, several spiros around the Earth for the Moon and some semi ellipsoids for the outer planets. Because the scale is real, it takes a little to understand the position. It's better start off tweaking the scale so you have the bodies closer than reality and move out as you understand it. By the way, the system is Sun centric. If you need it to be centered in the theoretical universe center, I can change it (the plotting would be different for periods longer than a couple thousand years).
#174718From: Jun 10, 1995 6:32 PM
Ian: >> Am wondering where I can find a solar system model-does anyone know >> of one… Otherwise where might I find x,y,z coords. for each of the >> nine planets throught their orbits? If you can't find a mesh, you might try our SunPath IPAS routine. It accurately locates and animates the sun, moon, and every planet in our solar system for any particular date and time. Greg Pyros