Celestia Forums

ANDREA wrote:Friends, I'm working on a show of the Solar System for schools, and I would like to show closely the Saturn rings, as seen from above.
I tried a lot of different commands, but without results.
In practice I should put my eyes looking down on the Saturn Pole, then move sideway of the distance of the rings from the planet.
Somone can help me?
Thank you a lot.

ANDREA
157 Frasso Sabino

You may want to try gotolonglat . . . Something like this:



--Chris

Hmm,

I don't know about the script code you could use for it, but I would simply put a space probe or a tiny moon on an non-aequatorial orbit just outside the rings.

Then look from your object towards Saturn, if you want it animated - let it orbit, if you want it static - hold it (t=0) above the pole and look down, zoom and fov a bit.

CU,
Axel

Axel wrote:Hmm,

I don't know about the script code you could use for it, but I would simply put a space probe or a tiny moon on an non-aequatorial orbit just outside the rings.

Then look from your object towards Saturn, if you want it animated - let it orbit, if you want it static - hold it (t=0) above the pole and look down, zoom and fov a bit.

CU,
Axel

An extra "object" is completely superfluous...

Just set the observer coordinates in the script, exactly as Chris did. If you want to look on the ring from above: set latitude =90, if you want a more gracing look at it, e.g. set latitude = 10, if you want to look from below set latitude = -10.


Got it?

Bye Fridger

Axel:
------

I forgot in the previous mail:
Instead of the script, you may use just the dialog in Navigate->Goto Object and set object=Saturn, enter your desired latitude (and longitude) and some good distance, e.g. 300 000 KM.

Bye Fridger

Why not just right click and drag and rotate until you have the view you want ?

Anonymous wrote:Why not just right click and drag and rotate until you have the view you want ?

The original question was how to setup some sort of show for schools. Obviously, then it's good for the Operator (teacher?) to lean back and watch things together with the kids without hiding the screen;-))

The script commands are ideal for this purpose...

As to my second response to Axel's mail, I just referred to the menue dialog for him to try out what I said. As he admitted and it was also apparent from his response, he does not know about the meaning of the scripting commands too well.

Bye Fridger

Thank you very much for the many suggestions, that I have translated in the following script:
**********************************************************
wait { duration 0.5 }
time { jd 2452452.20 }
select { object "Pan" }
center { time 2 }
gotolonglat { time 55 distance 30000 up [ 0 1 0 ] longitude -13.3 latitude -58 }
wait { duration 1 }
print { text " Pan is one of the so called -Shepard Saturn satellites-,
circling the planet within the Encke Division in Saturn's A ring, allowing it
not to fragment. It is very small, about 12 miles" }
orbit { axis [ 0 1 0 ] rate 0 duration 2.5 }
wait { duration 2 }
gotolonglat { time 1 distance 7000 up [ 0 1 0 ] longitude -13.3 latitude -58 }
orbit { axis [ 1 0 0 ] rate 20 duration 14.5 }
print { text "" }
wait { duration 4 }
changedistance { rate -0.3 duration 5 }
orbit { axis [ 1 0 0 ] rate 20 duration 16.85 }
wait { duration 1 }
********************************************************

I have chosen the satellite Pan as target (it is one of the shepard satellites, within the A ring), at the given JD date, because Pan is in a good position on the sunlit side of Saturn.
If you want, copy it in the START.cel file, and give a look.
Thank you again everybody.
ANDREA
157 Frasso Sabino