Game of Orbits: A Gaming Approach to Neptune's Discovery

TL;DR

This paper explores Neptune's historical discovery and uses a physics-based simulation game to analyze orbital deviations of Uranus caused by Neptune and Jupiter, demonstrating gaming tools' potential in scientific visualization.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach of using a gaming simulation platform to visualize and analyze planetary orbital deviations, bridging gaming and scientific research.

Findings

Orbital deviations range from 10 km to over 21 million km.

Deviation angles observed between 0.04 and 3.22 arc-seconds.

Gaming simulations can effectively aid in visualizing complex astronomical phenomena.

Abstract

One reason that the planet Neptune will be remembered for, is to do with the fact that it was the first planet whose existence was postulated before being observed. This was based on analysing deviations in Uranus' orbit. The present study gives a brief account of the history behind the discovery of Neptune, looking at the same, through the conflicting lenses of France and Britain. With this context established, the study then investigates deviations in Uranus' orbit (experimentally found to range from 10,100 km to 21,276,000 km), under a host of different conditions and orientations of the perturbing body (Neptune/Jupiter). This was accomplished using Universe Sandbox 2, which is a physics-based simulation software, presented on the gaming platform, Steam. The paper then examines what these deviations correspond to, as viewed from Earth, finding that the deviation angle ranges between 0.04 arc-seconds and 3.22 arc-seconds. The paper in this way, demonstrates how using games like Universe Sandbox 2, can aid in approaching problems that would be considered difficult to visualize using a purely mathematical approach.