But what if you could explore the universe through a surprisingly accurate simulation - for free?
Universe Sandboxis the self-proclaimed “interactive astronomy software for everyone”.
And I only have one word for it:awesome.
Are you an astronomy nut?
Youll love the amount of control and freedom given to you by Universe Sandbox.
As its name implies, Universe Sandbox is a sandbox stretched to encompass the whole universe.
Except instead of playing with sand, youre manipulating planets, systems, and entire galaxies.
As you play around with certain simulations, you’re free to save them and open new ones.
you might always return to the state of your current universe.
The range of Universe Sandbox is definitely wide.
As you would expect, the moon circles around Earth in an elliptical pattern.
Zoom in close to see a near-accurate depiction of a moons path through space.
Zoom out to see how all of the planetary bodies interact with each other.
Here is the crux of Universe Sandbox.
Here is the reason why I love this program so much.
Instead of just observing pre-designed simulations, you might fiddle around with the sandbox completely.
There are three ways to customize and modify your sandboxing experience.
The first way is to play around with the simulation modes.
Chart Mode is a feature that lets you compare planetary bodies side-by-side.
you could also change the way objects are colored (by size, velocity, mass, etc.)
At the top left, youll see a variety of ways that offer you simulation control.
The time dialog is used as a reference for the current time of the simulation.
That is, of course, if you havent fooled around with universal placements of planets and stars.
The last way to spruce up your sandboxing experience is by using the simulation options.
Universe Sandbox comes in both Free and Premium versions.
Chart Mode is limited in the Free version.
The download comes with a free 60-minute trial of the Premium features which are disabled when the period ends.
The Premium version costs $19.95 USD.
Even if you only consider the free features, Universe Sandbox is entertaining and educational.
Its certainly worth a try.
