3D Shooting Star Wish Simulator & Atmospheric Physics Engine
NM Mohitha
An interactive 3D WebGL experience where users fly through space, select a star, and watch a physics-accurate meteor burn through Earth's atmosphere as they make a wish.
What it does
The app simulates real atmospheric entry physics: exponential air density decay (ρ = ρ₀·e⁻ʰ/ᴴ), ablation mass loss (dm/dt = −σAρv³/2), plasma luminosity, and drag deceleration. The wish countdown timer is calculated from actual transit time using the formula t = (Δh · m⁰·²²) / (v · sinθ), where mass, entry angle, and meteoroid composition (iron, stony, or cometary) all affect how long the star burns. Heavier mass and shallower angles give longer countdowns — exactly as real physics predicts. A full-stack front-end web app using Vite, Three.js, and vanilla JavaScript featuring: (1) a narrative story intro with animated characters, (2) a reflex minigame that forges meteoroid mass, (3) a 3D deep-space flight explorer with 1,200+ stars, spiral galaxies, and nebulae where mouse steering and star selection determine meteor trajectory and composition via B-V spectral color index, (4) a dynamic wish countdown screen with a single burning meteor synchronized to physics-derived time, and (5) a scientific report card showing entry velocity, peak brightness, ablation, and survival status. Mapping real astronomical B-V color indices to meteoroid compositions and plasma flame colors, deriving a meaningful countdown formula from atmospheric entry equations that feels interactive yet scientifically grounded, building a smooth 3D flight camera with mouse-steered yaw/pitch banking in Three.js, preventing UI event conflicts between the angle slider and 3D click handlers, synchronizing a single meteor's canvas animation speed to the physics-calculated countdown timer, and rendering a realistic stratospheric horizon glow behind the burning meteor during atmospheric entry.