AETHER Gravity Observatory

Highlights

How to Use

1. Pick a scenario from the catalog

   Open the page and wait for the short calibration sequence to finish. In the Catalog panel on the left, choose one of the seven scenarios such as Sol — Systema Solare, Binary — Stellae Geminae or Collapse — Nubecula Primeva. The title at the top centre, the canvas contents, the field map and the telemetry panel all update to the selected system.

2. Inspect bodies and system energy

   Click a body on the canvas to select it. The Inspector panel on the right shows its name, class, mass, radius, velocity and id, while the block below reports the total number of bodies, the number of merges, kinetic energy, potential energy and a system energy bar. Press Pause or Space to freeze the numbers and Reset to return the scenario to its starting state.

3. Inject and throw new masses

   Use the Inject row at the bottom to choose Planet, Star, Ice or Well, then press and drag on the canvas. The drag direction and length set the throw, and the new body is added to the field immediately, changing the body count and interacting with everything around it. Bodies that touch merge into larger ones, and the merge total in the telemetry panel increases.

4. Tune time and visual layers

   Drag the Time slider or use the bracket keys to change the simulation speed. Toggle Trails, Field, Names and Audio from the control strip, or use the T, G, L and M keys, to see orbital paths, gravity field lines, body labels and an ambient sound layer. Press F or Follow to lock the camera onto the selected body, and press ? at any time to open the operations panel with the full key map.