Finding Our Place in the Universe

Overview

To get an idea of the grander scale of our place in the universe, create a simulation that places us among the stars. A step-by-step guide to simulate the scale of the Solar System in relation to the Universe.

Introduction

Interstellar space begins basically where the solar wind is no longer able to push back the stellar winds. The outer limit of the solar wind’s influence is roughly four times Pluto’s distance from the Sun, or 121 Astronomical Units away.
To get an idea of the grander scale of our place in the universe, create a simulation that places us among the stars.

Sling Around a Few Planets

1. Open a new simulation.
2. Choose an existing simulation to start with.
3. Zoom in until you can see the Milky Way clearly.
4. Locate our Sun/Star in the left side of the Milky Way. Double click the Sun, and then Zoom in until you can see it clearly.
5. Click the Add tool in the User Interface and select Earth. Click to place it half way across the screen from the sun.
6. Select the planet Earth by double clicking on it, and look in the User Interface for the section titled Orbital Elements. There are two ways to specify how far away the planet should orbit the sun. For the Inner planets, it is simpler to start with “Orbital period,” referring to the length of time it will take the planet to make a complete revolution around the sun in our days or years. At this point you can simply click the arrows and move up until you reach one year, and Earth will suddenly be at the correct distance from the Sun. Now you are ready to move on and add each of the other planets.
7. Select the Sun again by double clicking on it.
8. Click the Add tool in the User Interface and select a planet. Click to place it near the sun.
9. Select the new planet you’ve placed onscreen by double clicking on it. This will change your new center of view to the planet and the User Interface will open for it. Look in the UI for the Orbital Elements. Now you may either follow the same method you used in step 6 to set the Orbital period, or you may just choose to set the SMA or “Semimajor Axis” which is the size of the orbit circle around the Sun. This will allow you to just type in the number of kilometers the planet should be away from the Sun. This information can be found easily from my chart below, or on Wikipedia at this link[en.wikipedia.org].
10. Using the chart, find the “Mean distance from the Sun in kilometers. This will position your planet the correct distance from the Sun.

Planet Orbiting Distance Chart

Sample Screenshots

Here are a few sample screenshots from my simulation:

Conclusion

Repeat steps 7-10 for each of the planets you wish to add to our Milky Way Galaxy. When you are satisfied with the planets you have chosen, you can click on the Milky Way to reorient your field of view within the Galaxy. Then you can zoom in and out to get an idea of the scale of our solar system itself in relation to the galaxy.
By zooming even farther out, you can see our Solar System & Galaxy in relation to the other nearby galaxies.
Interstellar space begins at the point of the heliopause, or the edge of the Sun’s influence within the Milky Way Galaxy. By allowing the simulation to play with movement tails on the planets, you can get a good visual of the heliopause by watching the Solar System’s movement within the Milky Way Galaxy.
I may have over-simplified the facts. If I left anything out, add it in the notes, and I hope you found something interesting to guide you in the Sandbox of the Universe. Thanks for reading.