Comet Tails (2D) | mysimulator.uk

Comets

Number of comets 3

Orbit eccentricity 0.55

Solar Interaction

Time scale 1.0×

Tail sublimation strength 1.0×

Tracked comet (nearest perihelion)

Distance

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Orbital speed

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True anomaly

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Tail length

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Elapsed

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Orbit period

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Under the hood

Each comet sweeps an ellipse with the Sun at one focus. Angular momentum h = r²·dθ/dt is conserved (Kepler's 2nd law), so the same code that sets the orbit shape also sets the speed: comets accelerate near perihelion (closest approach) and crawl near aphelion, exactly as real orbital mechanics predicts — not a constant angular step.

Orbit radius: r(θ) = a(1−e²) / (1 + e·cos θ), θ = true anomaly from perihelion
Speed law: dθ/dt = h / r², h = √(GM·a(1−e²)) — conserved per orbit
Period: T² ∝ a³ (Kepler's 3rd law) — comets on wider orbits take longer per lap
Tail: dust/ion particles are pushed radially outward, away from the Sun, by solar wind and radiation pressure; sublimation strength (and so tail length) scales as 1/r² of solar distance

dθ/dt = h / r²
r(θ) = a(1-e²) / (1 + e·cosθ)
tailLen ∝ tailStrength / r²

Sun Comet nucleus Dust/ion tail (anti-solar)