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orbitr 0.2.0

New functions

• add_body_keplerian(): Add a body to the system using classical Keplerian orbital elements (semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, longitude of ascending node, argument of periapsis, true anomaly) instead of raw Cartesian state vectors. The elements are converted to position and velocity relative to a specified parent body.

• add_planet(): Add a known solar system body by name with real orbital data looked up automatically. Just specify the name and parent — mass, semi-major axis, eccentricity, inclination, and orientation are filled in from JPL DE440 values. Any element can be overridden for “what if” scenarios (e.g., add_planet("Mars", parent = "Sun", e = 0) for a circular Mars).

• load_solar_system(): One-liner that builds a complete solar system — the Sun, all eight planets, the Moon, and optionally Pluto — using real orbital data from the JPL DE440 ephemeris. Returns a ready-to-simulate orbit_system. Use moon = FALSE or pluto = FALSE to exclude those bodies.

Bug fixes

• three_d parameter on plot_orbits(), plot_system(), and animate_system() now supports FALSE to force 2D output even when the data has Z-axis motion. Previously, three_d = FALSE was the default but could not override the auto-detection.

• Fixed frozen 3D animations in animate_system_3d() caused by redraw = FALSE in plotly animation options.

orbitr 0.1.0

Initial release.

Core engine

• N-body gravitational simulation with three integration methods: Velocity Verlet (default), Euler-Cromer, and standard Euler.
• Compiled C++ acceleration engine via Rcpp with automatic fallback to vectorized R.
• Optional gravitational softening to prevent singularities at close approach.

Workflow

• create_system() / add_body() / simulate_system() pipe-friendly API.
• Tidy tibble output (one row per body per time step) for use with dplyr, ggplot2, plotly, etc.
• shift_reference_frame() to re-center simulations on any body.

Visualization

• plot_orbits() / plot_orbits_3d() for quick trajectory plots (ggplot2 2D, plotly 3D).
• plot_system() / plot_system_3d() for single-time-step snapshots.
• animate_system() / animate_system_3d() for animated orbits via gganimate or plotly.
• Automatic 2D/3D dispatch based on whether any body has non-zero Z motion.

Built-in constants

• Real-world masses, orbital distances, and speeds for the Sun, all eight planets, and the Moon.
• gravitational_constant for scaling gravity in create_system().
• seconds_per_hour, seconds_per_day, seconds_per_year time helpers.

These binaries (installable software) and packages are in development.
They may not be fully stable and should be used with caution. We make no claims about them.
Health stats visible at Monitor.