10 terabytes of data: the 3D universe

The universe – endless expanses. It is not actually accessible, but at least now achievable in virtual reality. The Swiss University of Lausanne We launched an open source beta program that enables virtual visits to the universe. For this purpose, the largest available data set in the universe was collected in order to create 3D panoramic visualizations.

In our virtual world, we can jump between different scales. Starting with the Earth, we now look at the alleged large structures of the universe.

Yves Rivas

Work in Astrophysics, EPFL

Software engineers, astrophysicists, and display experts have developed a space that can be experienced through 3D glasses, in panoramic cinemas, dome screens, or simply on a computer for 2D viewing.

It is a representation of the universe created thanks to the immense computing power. Thanks to computers, we are able to represent the evolution of a part of the universe over a long period of time. This enables us to understand how matter is distributed throughout the universe.

Yves Rivas

Work in Astrophysics, EPFL

Scientists describe the experience as particularly impressive thanks to the proportions.

Perception through glasses is great, it’s like floating in the universe and being so much bigger than the average person. For example, the Earth, I have a feeling it’s really small, like a soccer ball.

Yves Rivas

Work in Astrophysics, EPFL

When you see the universe in 3D, when you show these filaments, these clusters of galaxies, these great concentrations of matter, then you really get what the universe is.

Jean Paul Kneip

Direktor am Astrophysikalischen Labor, EPFL

The project goes further than any current representation of the universe, hundreds of millions of objects in space can be represented in a single solution. The benefits also go beyond astronomy and astrophysics: this tool can be useful for many scientific and industrial applications – for example to represent the human brain, the perception of which is at least as complex as the known universe.

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Frank Mccarthy

<p class="sign">"Certified gamer. Problem solver. Internet enthusiast. Twitter scholar. Infuriatingly humble alcohol geek. Tv guru."</p>

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