The Second Life Scripters mailing list just had a great discussion on the cycle of the sun and the seasons in Second Life. As very detail-oriented residents may have already determined, the sun and moon in SL do not follow the Earth’s natural course.
Scripter Extraordinaire Zyzzy Zarf (who doesn’t seem to have a web site, but if I’m wrong, please let me know in the comments!) provided some code obtained from a Linden that indicates that the sun moves in a circle around a tilted plane. The angle of the plane rotates around each year.
This results in a “good enough” simulation of how the sun and moon ought to behave. When we design virtual environments, do we really need accurate simulations of the sun and moon? Or is this “good enough” simulation good enough?
I’m also fascinated by the emergence of a class of SL Astronomers… studying the Second Life skies.
Hi Hillary
I got your your blog from SL Sloan ning
I am going to have to visit this new rendering
of the rising sun in SL and the SL Astronomers
I teach science online and also work with AAAS looking
at web based phenomenon and representation for science understanding.
So when you say ‘ good enough’ I have the response that the sun earth moon system geometries are pretty complex and we need as accurate as possible representations. There are always limitations in any model
I would ask the question ‘ What is the intent of the simulation?’
IE
If it is to teach about those geometries then an acturate
simulation is very important. Including multi perspectives……from the Earth from a point in space, from the Sun , from the Moon would all be great to include
Many people have misconceptions about why we have seasons and why we have phases of the moon so, to my mind, this would be important from my own teaching perspective : )
Just a few thoughts
Have to go and see the sun rise in SL : )
Arlene JL
SL Roshana Rives