HOW TO

Dive into the virtual reality of the Universe and discover its visible and invisible building blocks. Take a tour to astronomical observatories with our 360 degree videos and panoramas. The complete website can be navigated either in VR mode using a VR-headset or via touch and click on any display.

WHAT

All media are based on scientific results, simulations or images from telescopes and observatories. If you’d like to know more about research at AIP, visit: www.aip.de

Explore the Universe

Take a virtual excursion into our local cosmic neighbourhood with our cosmology movies. Simulations show its different components – dark matter, gas and stars. The enigmatic Dark Matter dominates the cosmic large-scale structure. Stars and Galaxies follow this structure. These three different views of the Universe also demonstrate how real astronomical observations work, using different telescopes and instruments to decipher the different objects and building blocks of the Universe.

Virtual tour to astronomical observatories

The second part of the website invites you to a virtual tour through different astrophysical observatories that are linked to the AIP by telescope or instrument contributions. For instance enjoy the view from the   “Observatorio del Teide” or visit the solar observatory Einstein Tower in nearby Potsdam. More observatories world-wide coming soon!

WHY VR?

…because it allows us to dive into the fascinating cosmos and to experience astrophysical research. Astrophysicists get their insights in the universe and its objects by analyzing huge amounts of data from observations and simulations of stars, galaxies and other cosmic objects. Virtual Reality make these data visible.

CREDITS/THANKS

VR movies: A. Khalatyan

Idea & Creation: A. Khalatyan & G. Schönherr

Cosmological Simulations: A. Khalatyan, C. Scannapieco, CLUES-Project

Images of the observatories: A. Khalatyan, C. Denker, C. Kuckein, G. Schönherr, ZEISS Großplanetarium Berlin

Thanks to everyone who tested the first experiments with VR@AIP! A big thanks goes to the E-Science, IT and PR teams for their support!