When to Use Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer - Best Sessions and Limits
The Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer fits classroom demos, short curiosity breaks, and side-by-side comparisons of Mercury, Earth, and Halley eccentricities. It is an educational Kepler-equation visualization - not an N-body integrator - so a few session types need another tool.
A five-minute classroom demo
A five-minute classroom demo is the ideal session: open Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer, press Earth to show a near-circular orbit (e=0.017), then press Halley to jump to e=0.967 and watch the planet speed up near perihelion. The teal wedges make Kepler's second law visible - faster than drawing ellipses on a chalkboard.
Comparing T^2 and a^3
Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer suits comparing Kepler's third law because the panel lists T, T^2, and a^3 for each preset. Students can press Mercury (0.241 yr, a=0.387 AU), Earth (1.0 yr, a=1 AU), and Halley (75.3 yr, a=17.8 AU) in sequence and read the same published figures on every selection.
Morphing eccentricity live
Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer in fullscreen keeps the preset buttons, eccentricity slider, and facts panel visible while the orbit animates. Drag e from 0 toward 0.97 to see how the ellipse shape changes without leaving the page - enough motion to hold attention without sound or accounts.
Sessions it does not fit
These sessions do not fit Kepler Orbits 3D Explorer: any time you need N-body gravity, perturbations from Jupiter, orbital inclination in 3D, or mission-design ephemerides. The scene solves Kepler's equation for a single two-body ellipse only - no general relativity, no multiple bodies. For full solar-system dynamics, use an N-body simulator or the Solar System 3D Explorer for a qualitative multi-planet view. It also needs WebGL in the browser.
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