Big Rolly

Big Rolly is an interactive digital orrery designed for educational purposes, allowing users to explore the solar system in a unique and engaging way. The application features two main views:

1. Broad View: A comprehensive overview of the solar system, displaying the planets from the Sun to Jupiter, along with the density of asteroids in the asteroid belt.
2. Detailed View: A 3D simulation that lets users click into specific sections of the orrery to fly around and explore a rich environment filled with asteroids.

Slides summarizing the project here

Project Structure

The project consists of two main subfolders:

• api: Contains the backend components.
• ui: Contains the frontend components.

Installation and Running

To set up and run Big Rolly, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the API directory:

   cd api

   Install the necessary dependencies:

   pip install fastapi uvicorn httpx orjson numpy pandas tqdm

   Start the API server:

   uvicorn main:app --reload

2. Navigate to the UI directory:

   cd ../ui

   Install the required frontend packages:

   npm install

   Start the UI application:

   npm start

Usage

Click on a sector to view all of the asteroids in it

Move around with the mouse and WASD

Right click to stop using the mouse, and press "navigate to closest" to see the data of the nearest asteroid

Press P to toggle space ship view

Hit exit to go back to sector view

Have Fun!!!!