Orbit Spirograph

Orbit Spirograph is a compact Red Blob Games experiment that turns relative planetary motion into patterned paths. Pick among familiar planets, Ceres, or the asteroid Apophis, then compare the resulting geometry from relative and heliocentric viewpoints.

What is Orbit Spirograph?

This little orbital desk toy begins with the Venus-Earth relationship, the source of the near five-petaled pattern sometimes called the rose of Venus. A visible table supplies set buttons for ten bodies, from Mercury to Neptune, while a heliocentric control changes the point of view. The page says it uses orbital periods and Kepler's Third Law to estimate distance from the Sun, favoring an immediate visual idea over a long astronomy lesson. Its real charm is comparative: one selection suggests a tidy flower, another a denser scribble, and the same basic ingredients keep producing different celestial pen strokes.

What you can do there

• Compare orbital paths for different Solar System bodies
• Switch between relative and heliocentric views

Why we picked it

It compresses a surprisingly rich piece of orbital geometry into one focused experiment. The table makes the possible comparisons legible before any clicking, while the Venus-Earth starting point gives the patterns a concrete astronomical hook instead of presenting them as decoration alone.

How to get the most from it

Begin with Venus and Earth to see the page's motivating comparison, then work outward through Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune. Use the heliocentric control as a second pass: changing the reference frame is the quickest way to understand why the same orbital periods can draw such different loops.

Good to know

This is a time-boxed Red Blob Games experiment rather than a full simulator. The publisher says its articles are free, require no signup, and carry no ads. The animation, mobile behavior, audio, accessibility, and scientific precision of the calculations were not tested in this review.

Who made it, and when?

Amit Patel is the credited creator or organization. The earliest supported launch date we found is January 19, 2019. A documented update was recorded October 23, 2025.