Reimagining Planet B
Imagining planet GJ 15 A b
This is an ambitious endeavor to bring the distant exoplanet GJ 15 A b, discovered in 2014, GJ 15 A b is a fascinating exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star GJ 15 A, located just 11.6 light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. Part of a binary star system, this super-Earth (or mini-Neptune) has sparked scientific curiosity due to its extreme environment and proximity to its dim, cool host star.— Earth-sized world orbits a dim dwarf star, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for creative interpretation. The project aims to transform sparse scientific data into a vivid, immersive experience, allowing users to explore the planet’s hypothetical terrain, atmosphere, and micro-environments in unprecedented detail. By blending procedural generation, atmospheric simulation, and real-time rendering, the visualization bridges the gap between astronomical discovery and public engagement, offering a speculative yet scientifically grounded window into an alien world.
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This planetary system has an abundance of strange properties. The innermost world in the system, GJ 15 A b, takes just 11 days to make a full orbit around the star - a "year" on this planet. It weighs in at three times the mass of Earth, qualifying it for the size category known as "super-Earth." It's also super-heated, with an estimated surface temperature of 530 degrees Fahrenheit (276 Celsius).
Its sister-world, GJ 15 A c, could hardly be more different. It's a gas giant 36 times the mass of Earth, and appears to have roughly a 20 year orbit around its cool and small parent star. While its temperature is not known, it's likely to be quite cold in this distant, possibly icy orbit, loosely comparable to the orbit of Saturn around our Sun.
The project leverages a robust software pipeline to achieve its vision. Houdini served as the foundation, generating the planet’s base terrain through procedural modeling techniques that mimic glacial erosion and tectonic activity. Flowmap Painter was then employed to simulate atmospheric dynamics, mapping wind patterns and cloud movements that align with the planet’s extreme cold and thin atmosphere. Unreal Engine 5 unified these elements, enabling multi-scale exploration—from satellite-level orbital views to hyper-detailed landscapes and even microscopic ice formations. Nanite geometry and Lumen lighting ensured seamless transitions between scales, maintaining visual fidelity without compromising performance.
Creating various mood boards according to the data provided my NASA
Still from the movie
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Creating terrain in Houdini
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Modeling planet in Houdini with atmosphere
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