Week 2 – When Planets Align

This post documents my digital artwork, “When Planets Align,” a looping animation about cosmic harmony and human potential. The artwork shows planets orbiting a sun, eventually falling into a rare, perfect alignment. The core message is simple: if planets can align, what can you not achieve?

Concept

“When Planets Align” uses a celestial event as a metaphor for achieving the improbable. Eight planets dance around a sun in a rhythmic, constant motion. The key moment is their unlikely, simultaneous alignment—a fleeting instance of perfect order. This moment is meant to inspire viewers to reconsider their own perceived limitations.

Code Highlight

I’m particularly proud of the simple logic that governs the planetary alignment. By setting each planet’s speed as a multiple of a base speed, I could guarantee they would all align periodically.

const alignmentInterval = 600;
const baseSpeed = (Math.PI * 2) / alignmentInterval;

// Inside the planet creation loop
let harmonicSpeed = baseSpeed * (i + 1);

To make the alignment impactful, the animation briefly pauses, allowing the viewer to absorb the moment before the cycle continues.

// Pause for 1 second on perfect alignment
if ((frameCount + startOffset) % alignmentInterval === 0) {
  noLoop();
  setTimeout(loop, 1000);
}

Embedded Sketch

Here is the embedded p5.js sketch of “When Planets Align.”

Reflection

Creating this piece was a fulfilling journey of turning a simple idea into a meaningful visual. “When Planets Align” is about the beautiful interplay between order and chaos. It’s a reminder that extraordinary moments can and do happen. My hope is that it inspires others to believe in their own potential to achieve the unlikely.