Explore the most detailed 3D map of the universe in VR

Scientists in Switzerland have developed 3D virtual reality (VR) software that builds - in real-time - a virtual universe based on the most detailed contemporary astrophysical and cosmological data. Called VIRUP, which stands for Virtual Reality Universe Project, it was developed at EPFL's Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO), and is available as open-source software for would-be cosmonauts everywhere.

"What we are looking at here is the largest data set of the universe, it's running in real time in a 360 degree 3D environment that enables any person to navigate freely inside the universe," said Sarah Kenderdine from the Laboratory of Experimental Museology at EPFL.

Astronomers and astrophysicists collect data about billions of celestial objects in the night sky with telescopes here on Earth and in space.

Creating a visual representation of the data in real-time, as if you were an observer at an arbitrary point in space and time, is the challenge that faced the software developers. Typically, visual representations of the vast amounts of data are pre-rendered into specific sequences, including what audiences watch at planetariums.

Kenderdine added: "What's new here is the real time, it's bringing tens of terabytes of data onto the screen with super fidelity," she added.

With more and more cosmological data being gathered, making it easier to visualise is giving space scientists a novel perspective on cosmic events.

For the moment, VIRUP can already visualise data from over 8 databases bundled together, including on the 50 million galaxies measured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, as well as the 4500 exoplanets discovered so far.

VIRUP also creates robust simulations based on the data research. So, you can watch the Milky Way Galaxy and its future collision with the Andromeda galaxy, our galactic neighbour. You can also see huge portions of the cosmic web - the filamentary large-scale structures that extend across the universe.

As more and more data is gathered, VIRUP will add it to its software, giving astronomers and astrophysicists a brand new perspective on space.