Black Hole Raytracer
rivendell.dmitrybrant.com- Category
- Entertainment
- Rank
- No. 275Apps board
Previous survey · No. 259 ·
- Type
- TOOL
- Date
About
An interactive browser visualization that raytraces light along geodesic paths around a non-rotating Schwarzschild black hole, as predicted by general relativity. Users can orbit and zoom the view, adjust curvature, and add toy objects such as stars, planets and glass spheres to see gravitational lensing and Einstein rings. The page notes that the accretion disk and observer are simplified.
At a glance
Black Hole Raytracer shows how a nonrotating black hole bends light from the scene around it. It is worth opening for a quick look at gravitational lensing, especially if a static diagram has left you wondering why the disk appears above and below the shadow.
Good fit
Curious readers and teachers who want to change a viewpoint or toggle a visual aid while explaining a black hole’s shadow.
Consider something else when
Use a different simulation to study spin, time dilation, orbiting matter or how an accretion disk’s brightness changes with motion. This scene freezes the matter and uses a simplified disk.
Start here
Enable Checkered horizon. A warped checkerboard appears in the dark center, showing where the renderer maps light from the horizon. Try orbiting the camera and use a lower quality setting if movement is slow.
Cost and requirements
The public demo rendered in a desktop browser without a payment or sign-in prompt. It uses the GPU for ray tracing and exposes a quality setting.
Limits to know
The author models a nonrotating, uncharged black hole. The Curvature slider changes the light-bending equation without changing the black hole’s mass. The browser trial confirmed the horizon toggle and left the physics and device performance unverified.
Sources checked 2026-11-05. Source-based assessment.
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