On: Show HN: Real-time Solar System with 526k asteroids and all tracked satellites

[____tom____]

> It's a browser view of the Solar System at real scale

Is it really? I don't think you could see the satellites, if they weren't drawn at 1000x scale. I am wrong?

At real scale, i would expect to not see anything.

[jsphweid → ____tom____]

I think it's pretty obvious the satellites aren't drawn to scale, given they don't change in size when zooming in/out.

[philipwhiuk → jsphweid]

But this is a fundamental problem with using it as a 'space is crowded' argument.

[blindflag → ____tom____]

I assumed they meant that relative distance from Earth or orbit is to scale, not that the size of the dots was to scale, but I could be wrong

[bbor → ____tom____]

Those are just UX elements -- indeed, no satellite other than maaaaaybe the ISS could be seen here. For one thing, anything in LEO would seem to be moving so darn fast that it'd be disorienting.

I imagine there's various similar problems -- Saturn's rings not having the exact right pattern, asteroids not matching their real shape, all the planets being perfect spheres, etc. But I think this resoundingly meets the bar for "a view of the Solar System". Maps and territories and all that, y'know? A quick sketch in a textbook can also be a "a view" while containing far less detail.

[philipwhiuk → bbor]

> For one thing, anything in LEO would seem to be moving so darn fast that it'd be disorienting.

They take ~90 minutes to orbit - it's not that quick. The satellites are actually moving at the right speed.

[bbor → philipwhiuk]

Sorry, to clarify: if you zoomed in close enough to see the actual objects without digital labels, then they’d be going very fast

[wanick → ____tom____]

Good point, the page now says it: distances are to scale, the dots are not.