Interactive Simulation of Galactic Structures
A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter. The Milky Way, our galaxy, contains between 100 and 400 billion stars.
Visible matter (stars, planets) makes up only about 5% of the Universe. The rest is dark energy (68%) and dark matter (27%).
In this simulation, we model the gravitational influence of a galactic center that keeps stars in orbits, emulating the effect of hidden mass.
This simulation uses a particle system (Particle System). Each 'star' has its own position, velocity, and color.
Motion is defined by the physics of orbital rotation around the center with added random noise for realistic spiral arms.
Spirals (Sa, Sb, Sc): Have spiral arms like the Milky Way. Young stars in the arms.
Elliptical (E0-E7): Spherical or elongated. Old stars, little gas.
Irregular: Chaotic shape, often a result of collisions.
🌍 Earth → Sun: 8 light minutes
☀️ Nearest star: 4.2 light years (Proxima Centauri)
🌌 Diameter of the Milky Way: 100 000 light years
🔭 Visible Universe: 93 billion light years
At the center of our galaxy is Sagittarius A* — a supermassive black hole with a mass of 4 million Suns.
The event horizon of a black hole is the boundary beyond which even light cannot escape.