Inspiration
After learning about planetary motion in Physics, we were inspired to try to model this in Python, and take advantage of the incredible motions these planets passively create. We share an interest in computational physics, which drove us to undertake this project. We were also inspired by many modern art pieces that we have seen through social media and at museums.
What it does
Our project uses computational physics, accurately simulating gravity to model the motion of planets in space. By tracing the path of these planets, we were able to create "revolutionary" works of art.
How we built it
We used Python and Pygame to model the GUI aspect of our project. We used Pillow to handle images throughout our program, and utilized advanced computational physics to model the movement of planets through the solar system. Using the universal law of gravitation, we modeled accurate motion of planets in the solar system.
Challenges we ran into
We initially attempted to use artificial intelligence and machine learning, like deep learning models and genetic algorithms, to reverse-engineer our model. With this approach, we would be able to pass an image to our neural network and find the initial planet locations/velocities. Then, by running our simulation, we could see the image being drawn by planets in realtime.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud to have created a physics-based simulation from scratch that produces beautiful art. With this simulation, we are able to set the locations and initial velocities of planets and run the simulation to see the artwork that it could produce.
What we learned
We learned more about image manipulation in Python. We also improved our ability to apply the physics that we learn in school to our project.
What's next for AstroArt
In the future, our simulation could be used to model other solar systems. It could also be used to study the n-body problem, a famous problem in computational physics. The n-body problem states that the smallest deviation in initial positions and velocities in a system with 3 or more bodies will compound and generate a vastly different result as time passes.
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