“Let’s light up the skies of the world. Astronomy for Education: from theory to practice‘ was the hybrid event organised by OAE Italy Centre and Inaf during Expo Dubai on 16 March 2022.
Markus Poessel, Head of the IAU’s OAE Office, Stefano Sandrelli and Sara Ricciardi from the Italian OAE Centre, Hamid Al-Naimiy and Ilias Fernini from SAASST (Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space sciences & Technology) and Pedro Russo from Leiden University/Ciência Viva launched the panel discussion.
The event included the presentation of Moon Landing VR 360, a Virtual Reality video produced by VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science, a start-up born as a spin-off of the Scuola Normale di Pisa and part of the ETT Group, specialised in the production of multimedia material for science dissemination. Teachers, researchers, communicators and astrophysics enthusiasts had the chance to discover a virtual reality product that allows them to relive the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in a simulation. Specifically, the user is faced with the same challenges as Neil Armstrong, dosing the LM’s fuel in order to land gently, in an innovative and interactive experience that combines graphic detail with absolute scientific realism.