Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience

A virtual reality experience created with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which places visitors inside a journey through galaxies, stars and a black hole at the Science Museum in London.

Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience is a virtual reality experience developed in collaboration with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Rather than looking at images of space, visitors are placed within the cosmos and travel from distant galaxies towards the edge of a black hole.

Along the way, the scenes include standing beside the Smithsonian's Whipple Observatory beneath a sky filled with constellations, climbing aboard powerful telescopes, and listening to the Sun's vibrations while observing solar flares. An exoplanet with erupting volcanoes and diamonds beneath its surface is explored, and a supernova shows how star material is recycled into new stars and planets. A supermassive black hole is also approached as it draws a star into its grasp.

The experience is presented at the Science Museum in South Kensington, a museum that also hosts exhibitions and cultural events. It will appeal to anyone curious about astronomy and the workings of the universe.