Balls keep on spinning

One preliminar shot from my Multimedia final project: the solar system, rendered with OpenGL.


What's done so far:

• The abstract solar system is modeled: distances are proportional, dimensions are proportional (but the Sun), speeds (rotation and revolution) are correct;
• everything is parametric, so it can be altered realtime;
• Moon actually rotates around Earth and every planet spins on his axis, also the moon itself (showing the same face to the Earth!);
• every planet has its own satellites, the real number, correctly distanced each other. Discovered yesterday night that Jupiter has 63 satellites!! Oo"
• Saturn and Uranus now feature their rings; I used a transparent toroid to represent them, gotta place some serious texture;
  
• stars on the background and debries around the system are implemented, for enhanced flight experience ;D
• the camera follows an arbitrary planet, and it is highlighted with a nice green cube.
  

The todo list:

• depict asteroids belt between Mars and Jupiter;
  
• fix the eccentric revolution of Pluto;
• place clouds layer around Earth, and possibly to bump-map the Moon;
• insert Simmetry's song "R.O.D.O.L.F.O." as musical commentary;
  

Open issues:

• learn how to apply a spherical texture without always showing the same face to the camera;
• learn how to specify the extension of the texture over a simple glutSolidSphere;
  

I have one week to achieve this results. Surely I won't, but who knows.

Probably I'll have to stress someone, starting from Alessandro Re (that I thank for the suggestion on the project and the patience in answering me every time :D)!