Following presentations in cities like Washington, DC., London, São Paulo, Lisbon and Melbourne, Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience will open in Perth.
The virtual journey will make its Western Australian debut at Northbridge Centre on Thursday, November 26. Visitors will move through distant galaxies, exploding stars, black holes and the Milky Way, all incorporated with Smithsonian astronomical research.
Developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the experience sees real scientific data, virtual reality and interactive storytelling to depict a universe visitors can explore.
Over 40 minutes, visitors will wear a wireless headset and step into another world, those also enjoying the experience alongside them appearing as digital avatars. They will begin at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory, heading into deep space, encountering the red supergiant Betelgeuse, supernovas, the Sagittarius A* supermassive black hole, and more.
The encounters draw from observations from telescopes including Hubble, James Webb and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, offering a different perspective on space and revealing the true scale of celestial objects in three dimensions.
Randall Smith, Associate Director for Science at the Centre for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, said of Starstruck: “This project demonstrates how immersive experiences can make complex scientific ideas more tangible and engaging.”
The experience explores astronomical questions like how stars form and die, how galaxies evolve, and where our solar system fits within the universe.
Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience opens at Northbridge Centre on Thursday, November 26. Head to smithsonianstarstruck.com/perth for more information.
