Space Engine

[Ande]

For those of you who have never heard of it, which included me until a couple of weeks ago, Space Engine is a program that accurately models space as we know it, and takes an educated guess at the rest of the universe that is beyond us. You will have most probably seen it in action, maybe unwittingly, as it tends to get used in a lot of YouTube videos to illustrate various concepts.  It is a stunning piece of software.

I bought a copy off Steam a few days ago, and have been absolutely mesmerised ever since. I am lucky enough to have a VR headset, so can take advantage of the VR mode, which enables me to fly amongst the stars like some kind of god. It genuinely feels like a religious experience, and is like some kind of incredible dream. Planets can be landed on, and surface skimmed from as close, or as far as you want. And they can be absolutely stunning.  Time can be sped up, so you can get to see planets, and moons orbiting, and sunsets and sunrises, sometimes from multiple suns.  The beauty of it all just takes the breath away at times. And it’s all in there....  Stars of all types, planets, moons, nebula, comets, black holes, star clusters etc. Just all gorgeously realised.

And nothing manages to convey the sheer vastness of space as this program. I was inside a star cluster earlier, and, having taken in the sights, decided to forge ahead. I kept increasing and increasing the speed,  and didn’t appear to be moving in relation to the stars  until I exceeded 25,000AU’s PER SECOND!! It really grabs your attention when you try to absorb those kind of numbers.
 

If you have a half-decent PC, then I would highly recommend purchasing it both as an educational tool, and an incredible way to explore our solar system and beyond.  VR is the icing on the cake, but not a requirement. When lockdown is finally over, anyone who would like to experience it for themselves would be more than welcome to have a try of my setup.

I found this rather eerie planet on my travels tonight, and was intrigued by a gouged-out track that spanned many miles. I flew above it, like some kind of superman, and eventually couldn’t resist taking a quick snap:

 

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by Ande
Typo

[Ande]

This video gives an idea of what it’s capable of showing.

 

 

[Jiggy 67]

Looks amazing!!...Nice music to