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The code draws full orbit ellipse if selected to do so, but the original picture was rendered using a different mode, where just a small slice of the orbit arc
by d_silin 2y ago
The code draws full orbit ellipse if selected to do so, but the original picture was rendered using a different mode, where just a small slice of the orbit arc is rendered, pretty much showing an instantaneous position of asteroid.
Now, I am pretty sure actual positions are not correct relative to each other (it is the same position on ellipse arc, should be actual position of the asteroid) but MPC file doesn't provide this information - you need ephemeris from here:
https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html
After all, it is mostly a data visualization demo (although I tried to be precise with scale too)
- slg 2y ago>Now, I am pretty sure actual positions are not correct relative to each other (it is the same position on ellipse arc That sounds to me just like a rephrasing of what I originally said. The locations in the Wikipedia image are correct relative to each other (because it is representing a moment in time) while the locations from the code are not correct relative to each other and are instead "the same position on ellipse arc" (although maybe I was wrong with my assumption that the "same position" was at the semi-major axis).
- d_silin 2y agoYeah, I changed the orbit position to randomly sampling orbit locations and asteroid belt gaps are definitely rendering artifacts.
- slg 2y agoLol, I thought our confusion was over astrophysics and not English. The gaps are a real physical phenomenon that may or may not be visible depending on rendering decisions. I wouldn't consider them a "rendering artifact" as I take that to imply the artifact was artificially created by the rendering. Either way, thanks for answering my questions!