Universe Sandbox
Universe Sandbox Legacy => Universe Sandbox 2010 Beta | Discussion => Topic started by: deoxy99 on March 17, 2010, 09:48:40 AM
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How come I can't make binary orbits seem correct? Sometimes binary planets just spiral inward to the star.
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How come I can't make binary orbits seem correct? Sometimes binary planets just spiral inward to the star.
Describe the steps you're taking to do this. i.e.: What you select, how many, what button you hit.
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I select any two planets, and click barycenter and then click create binary orbits, but planets just spiral in.
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The momentum is probably slowing the planets net force backwards more (since on has to eventually go backwards), causing both planets to lose thier inertia, and spiral in.
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Ahh... I re-read your question and I think I understand the problem now.
If you set two planets to have a binary orbit of one another, they're not given the necessary velocity to orbit the star.
Try this in a simulation with two planets very near each other and a star:
1 - Pause the simulation.
2 - Select just the two planets.
3 - Click on binary orbit
4 - Click on create barycenter.
5 - Now just select the barycenter and the star.
6 - Click on binary orbit
Let me know if that works for you.
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Nice! I just made Venus and Mercury orbit each other...but Mercury had a rotating elliptical orbit, like it had the same shape, but it just rotated around the focus...but still cool!
Thanks!
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5 - Now just select the barycenter and the star.
6 - Click on binary orbit
How would this work? I though the barycenter was like Landing, just a point. Yet it could be moved and effected by gravity, I thought it was just a random point, so if you were to shoot a planet through the bary center could fly off!
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It's an object isn't it? Objects orbit things.
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The procedure is a little odd, I admit, but when you select one object and a barycenter, it applies the necessary velocity to all of the objects that make up the barycenter. In this context you could think of the barycenter as a group of objects.