WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Solar System Mandalas

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type
heliocentric
geocentric
single entity, geocentric
time span in years
2
time step in days
2
entity 1
Mars
color 1
entity 2
Mercury
color 2
Plotting the position of solar system objects in the ecliptic plane gives elaborate patterns called mandalas. Heliocentric or geocentric points of view give entirely different patterns. You can connect the positions of two different bodies with a line or use "single entity" to see the apparent path the object takes from Earth's point of view. Kepler made similar patterns during his study of planetary orbits.