Einstein's Playground

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Developed by the MIT Game Lab, Einstein's Playground is a planetarium-based real-time simulation for visualizing special relativity in everyday environments.

Doppler Shift

Movement speed from left: stationary frame, 30% speed of light, 50% speed of light.

The color change in the middle image is due to blueshifting of visible light. The red tint in the right image visualizes infrared light being shifted into the visible spectrum.

Doppler Shift : Fireworks Example

The left image depicts a normal speed of light where a row of simple white fireworks are detonating simultaneously.

The right image depicts the same situation at a significantly lower speed of light. The fireworks no longer detonate at the same time due to the longer travel time of light. Additionally, the particles appear colorful due to varying amounts of blueshift and redshift from randomized velocities.

Lorentz Transformation and Relativistic Aberration

Visualization of the Lorentz contraction and relativistic aberration at 80% of the speed of light compared to a stationary frame. Note that the relativistic Doppler effect has been turned off.