Learning Orbital Mechanics by Building a Simple Python Simulator

Why this problem interested me

I have been wanting to learn more physics, especially space and asteroid-related topics, but I learn best when I can build something concrete. Orbital mechanics seemed like a good place to start because it connects a real physics idea to code, math, and visualization.

Rather than just reading about gravity and elliptical orbits, I wanted to see what happens when you model position, velocity, and acceleration over time.

Practical approach

1. Start with a simple 2D simulation of gravity between two bodies.

2. Represent position and velocity as vectors and update them step by step.

3. Use Newton’s law of gravitation to calculate acceleration.

4. Plot the resulting path to see whether the object falls inward, escapes, or settles into an orbit.

5. Keep the first version intentionally simple before worrying about realism or numerical accuracy.

What I expect to learn

This project should help me understand the relationship between force, motion, and time-stepped simulation. I also want to get more intuition for why some starting conditions produce stable orbits while others do not.

As I build it out, I expect to learn more about numerical methods, simulation drift, and the difference between a physically correct equation and a stable implementation.

Result

This post is a placeholder while I build the first version of the simulator. The goal is to come back with plots, code snippets, mistakes, and a clearer explanation of what finally made orbital motion click for me.