#1554: “Cosmos in Focus” Contextualizes James Webb Telescope Images in Educational Immersive Planetarium Experience
Mar 29, 2025
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Aditi Rajagopal, Head of Experience Design at Atlantic Studios, shares insights on creating immersive educational experiences. She discusses the groundbreaking 'Cosmos in Focus,' which contextualizes stunning James Webb telescope images in a planetarium setting. The project combines advanced zoom technology with 3D models to deepen understanding of the universe. Aditi also reflects on her transition from AR storytelling at Meta to immersive storytelling, highlighting the power of collaboration between creators and scientists for effective science communication.
'Cosmos in Focus' transforms static James Webb Space Telescope images into an engaging planetarium experience that enhances educational opportunities through immersive storytelling.
Aditi Rajagopal's transition from Meta to Atlantic Studios emphasizes the intersection of technology and narrative design in shaping user-driven learning experiences.
The project's collaboration with scientists allows for the creation of emotionally resonant narratives that relate complex astronomical concepts to humanity's broader existence.
Deep dives
Immersive Cosmic Exploration
The podcast discusses an innovative immersive experience called 'Cosmos in Focus', designed to take users on a journey through deep space using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. This educational experience presents high-resolution photos, creating a planetarium-like environment that allows users to zoom in and out of various cosmic phenomena. The experience utilizes a unique portaling effect, akin to a blend of cinematic scaling and digital mapping, to provide an engaging way of contextualizing astronomical imagery, effectively transforming standard JPEG images into a rich narrative journey through space. The aim is to educate while captivating audiences, giving them an opportunity to delve deeper into the wonders of the universe.
The Role of Agency in Storytelling
Aditi Rajagopal, the experience designer behind 'Cosmos in Focus', emphasizes the intersection of technology and storytelling, particularly in creating interactive narratives that allow users to shape their own learning paths. By incorporating AR elements and user-controlled interactions, the project aims to engage audiences actively, allowing them to explore content at their own pace. This personalized agency enhances the educational experience, making it not only informative but also emotionally resonant, as users can connect more deeply with the material presented. The experience represents a significant shift from traditional passive viewing to a more participatory model in storytelling.
Challenges of Virtual Reality Design
The transition from working on projects at Meta to developing 'Cosmos in Focus' on the Apple Vision Pro brings unique design challenges, particularly in guiding user attention. Rajagopal highlights the necessity of choreographing user focus using environmental cues to create a seamless experience, necessitating a shift in traditional storytelling techniques. Techniques such as dimming the user's environment and spatial placements of elements are essential for capturing and directing attention effectively. This intricate dance of design aims to ensure users are not only informed but also captivated by the unfolding narrative as they explore vast cosmic landscapes.
The Power of Cosmic Narratives
The podcast delves into how 'Cosmos in Focus' seeks to bridge complex astronomical concepts with emotional storytelling to make them accessible to a broader audience. By collaborating with scientists from the University of Sussex, the team curated a range of cosmic phenomena along with their respective narratives that highlight humanity's connection to the universe. By illustrating the birth and death of stars and the significance of cosmic images, the experience invites users to reflect on both the scientific and philosophical implications of our existence. The aim is to transform potentially mundane scientific data into engaging narratives that celebrate human ingenuity and exploration.
Future Directions of Immersive Experiences
Looking ahead, the podcast discusses aspirations for the expansion of 'Cosmos in Focus' into a comprehensive cosmic library, allowing users to explore even more celestial phenomena. The experience aims to provide a rich repository of knowledge, further enhancing accessibility for audiences interested in learning about the universe. As they consider redesigning the project for different platforms, the creators emphasize the importance of finding a balance between user agency and a guided narrative for effective storytelling. The focus will remain on delivering an impactful exploration of space, laying the groundwork for future immersive cosmic experiences.
Another Apple Vision Pro piece at SXSW 2025 was COSMOS IN FOCUS by Atlantic Studios (recently rebranded from Atlantic Productions). This was a short and sweet educational experience that allowed you to explore the imagery of the James Webb telescope, but it's both spatially contextualized in the night sky planetarium style. It is also fused together with other deep space satellite images at different scales of resolution creating this really cool zoom effect that's like a mash-up of the film POWERS OF TEN with Google Maps tiles, but in the context of space imagery. It's also an experience that demonstrates the power of collaborating with scientific researchers and subject matter experts as they're able to translate contextless 2D jpgs into an incredibly powerful immersive experience that not only preserves the original context, but leverages the immersive medium to provide many more learning opportunities. Many immersive stories on the festival circuit will shy away from more explicit didactic content or learning experiences, but this piece leans into it by reducing the choices a user can make streamlining the user journey. I also really enjoyed my conversation with Aditi Rajagopal, who led this project after transitioning from R&D and AR storytelling at Meta to immersive storytelling at Atlantic Studios.
This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.
Music: Fatality
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