Related papers: Developing Virtual Reality Activities for the Astr…

We report on the initial phase of an ongoing, multi-stage investigation of how to incorporate Virtual Reality (VR) technology in teaching introductory astronomy concepts. Our goal was to compare the efficacy of VR vs. conventional teaching…

A ball on a stick is a common and simple activity for teaching the phases of the Moon. This activity, like many others in physics and astronomy, gives students a perspective they otherwise could only imagine. For Moon phases, a third person…

In an era marked by renewed interest in lunar exploration and the prospect of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon, innovative approaches supporting mission preparation and astronaut training are imperative. To this end,…

The use of eXtended Reality (XR) technologies in the space domain has increased significantly over the past few years as it can offer many advantages when simulating complex and challenging environments. Space agencies are currently using…

Immersive virtual reality (VR) has enormous potential for education, but classroom resources are limited. Thus, it is important to identify whether and when VR provides sufficient advantages over other modes of learning to justify its…

Parallax is the most important astronomical method for determining the distances from the Earth to nearby stars. We present two hands-on activities that explore the concepts and practice of parallax measurement. The first activity is a…

Future astronauts living and working on the Moon will face extreme environmental conditions impeding their operational safety and performance. While it has been suggested that Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Up Displays (HUDs) could potentially…

Nowadays, computer simulations have reached amazing graphic results, providing awesome visual descriptions explaining the evolution of very complex physics phenomena, implementing the laws of Nature. Sometimes, without a scientific guide,…

In the field of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies have made huge progress during the last years and also reached the field of education. The virtuality continuum, ranging from pure virtuality on one side to the…

We have developed a Java-based teaching tool, "Appreciating Hubble at Hyper-speed" ($\textit{AHaH}$), intended for use by students and instructors in beginning astronomy and cosmology courses, which we have made available online. This tool…

This chapter explores the practice of conducting user research studies and design assessments in virtual reality (VR). An overview of key VR hardware and software tools is provided, including game engines, such as Unity and Unreal Engine.…

The ability to regulate and cope with strong emotions is essential for maintaining our mental health and well-being. However, learning how to emotionally regulate can be a bit of a mystery since it is largely an invisible process and it can…

In this research note, we present 3DMAP-VR,(3-Dimensional Modeling of Astrophysical Phenomena in Virtual Reality), a project aimed at visualizing 3D MHD models of astrophysical simulations, using virtual reality sets of equipment. The…

We report on an exploratory project aimed at performing immersive 3D visualization of astronomical data, starting with spectral-line radio data cubes from galaxies. This work is done as a collaboration between the Department of Physics and…

Revived interest in lunar exploration is heralding a new generation of design solutions in support of human operations on the Moon. While space system design has traditionally been guided by prototype deployments in analogue studies, the…

Space agencies are in the process of drawing up carefully thought-out Concepts of Operations (ConOps) for future human missions on the Moon. These are typically assessed and validated through costly and logistically demanding analogue field…

Many forefront observatories are located in remote areas and are difficult to visit, and the global pandemic made visits even harder. Several virtual tours have been executed on YouTube or Facebook Live, however, it is difficult to feel a…

Virtual Reality has become a significant element of education throughout the years. To understand the quality and advantages of these techniques, it is important to understand how they were developed and evaluated. Since COVID-19, the…

In the present work we intend to introduce a system based on VR (Virtual Reality) for examining analytical-geometric structures that occur in the study of mathematics and physics concepts in the last high school classes. In our opinion, an…

The complexity of the data generated by (magneto)-hydrodynamic (HD/MHD) simulations requires advanced tools for their analysis and visualization. The dramatic improvements in virtual reality (VR) technologies have inspired us to seek the…