I, Voyager - New in v0.1.2: better graphics, spacecraft trajectories!

Visit our Planetarium to see for yourself!

Procedural spheroids and custom 3D models

I, Voyager builds “spheroid” models procedurally by layering maps and/or shader effects on a single shared sphere mesh, sized and squashed for oblateness as needed. Data tables spheroids.tsv and shells.tsv specify material properties (or shader uniforms), shader names, process methods, and so on. The latter table specifies override surfaces and additional independent “shells” like cloud decks and atmospheric limb effects. We’ve been slowly developing the mechanics, but andreasfranke1 finally gave the gentle push we needed to add the content. And … wow!

Earth with emission, roughness and normal maps, a moving cloud deck, and a subtle atmospheric limb visible at high phase angle.

Normal map and oblateness squash isn’t enough for Ceres, so we built a 3D model using elevation data from Dawn’s Framing Camera HAMO global Digital Terrain Model. We built a few more ourselves where existing NASA 3D models are spheres and we didn’t think a sphere does the job: specifically, Phoebe, Iapetus, and Charon. These complement true 3D models from NASA for Phobos, Deimos, Mimas, Hyperion, and five visited asteroids.

Titan also gets an atmospheric limb. (Venus too, but you’ll have to see that yourself.)

For sources and attributions, see IVOYAGER_WORKS and 3RD_PARTY.

I, Voyager has patched conics!

These are implemented in the new IVTrajectory class, which stitches together a series of IVOrbit instances and creates a heliocentric polyline graphic.

July 1, 1984. Pioneer 10 (after its Jupiter flyby) and Voyager 1 (after its Saturn flyby) are on their way out of the Solar System to the ecliptic north. Voyager 2 is headed to its Uranus and Neptune flybys; the latter will provide a sharp turn to the south. If you run the Planetarium forward in time you’ll also see New Horizons (2006 – present, Jupiter and Pluto flybys) and Juno (2011 – 2016, Earth to Jupiter with Earth flyby).

Voyager 1 and 2 Jupiter flybys. On May 5, 1979, Voyager 1 has had its flyby and Voyager 2 is approaching.

We still have issues to work through to get our spacecraft into good shape. See this, this, and this. But these are solvable.

For all v0.1.2 changes, see our changelog.

We want your help!

I, Voyager is currently in beta development. If you want to be involved, visit our About and GitHub pages.

For feedback and discussion, go here!