National Geographic and Au Diable Vert present digitally augmented astronomy
NBCN Staff
ational Geographic and the award winning Au Diable Vert “Station de montagne” in Glen Sutton , have joined forces to present the world’s first open air augmented reality planetarium, the “National Geographic Observetoiles”.
This innovative new activity, which combines the technology of several cutting-edge companies from around the globe, will be launched on June 23.
Recently certified as a Canadian Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), Au Diable Vert “Station de montagne” and National Geographic will present a unique experience.
“National Geographic Observetoiles” is an open air astronomy show combining science and education. Seated in heated stadium seats, and perched at over 1,000 feet of altitude, this open air show takes place in a multilevel mountain side amphitheater, specially designed for star gazing at Au Diable Vert in Sutton.
Guests will be able to see the actual night sky take on another dimension, as high definition digital overlays of 17th century illustrations align with the real stars and planets. For the first time anywhere in the world, the innovative technology of an augmented reality headset will enable visitors to unlock the mysteries of the night sky.
Narrated by astronomers, each night’s presentation will be tailored to the ever changing beauty of space.
A key collaborator in developing this experience is the National Geographic astronomy expert, Andrew Fazekas, also known as the popular Night Sky Guy. He will be creating content for this Quebec-made and Quebec-based experience.
Jeremy Fontana, co-owner of Au Diable Vert, developed the concept and with leading technology partners brought the “National Geographic Observetoiles” to life.
Thanks to heated seats, the open air planetarium will be running shows nine months out of the year, immersing up to 184 guests at a time.
The activity is made possible through the use of an application running on a smartphone and an augmented reality headset. The headset enables the viewer to see digital overlays of the sky, with the names of the stars and more, while seeing the actual sky in real-time. It will also be possible to “augment” the experience by adding animations and going on a tour of the solar system. Even cloudy weather will not stop the show, as the projection made by the smartphone will compensate for any clouds.
At the end of the night, guests can take home their augmented reality headsets, so they can relive the experience anywhere in the world, by downloading the application on their own smartphones (download and headset included in the price of the activity).