galaxy
Stellar Simulation
Galaxy is a free Linux computer program which simulates the motion of stars under the influence of gravity. Create a field of random stars to begin with, then watch the stars move as they are accelerated by their mutual gravitational attractions. You can vary the number of stars and the strength of gravity. Watch how the attractive forces accelerate individual stars and send them careening in new directions. Watch how large groups of stars develop into interesting patterns over time, such as clusters and spiral arms.
To download and install galaxy, visit the download page
compiz warning
If you are using compiz prior to version 0.7.8, disable all special effects before running galaxy, otherwise your desktop may freeze, forcing a reboot. Compiz 0.7.8 (included in Ubuntu 8.10) no longer has the problem.
The following simulations need typically 2-20 minutes, depending on processor speed and star count.
1000 stars (click for full-size image);)
2000 stars;)
4000 stars;)
8000 stars;)
16000 stars and an hour of simulation ;)
