VR simulation lets you ‘visit’ Milky Way black hole

Berlin, Nov. 20 (PTI): Scientists have created a virtual reality (VR) simulation of Sagittarius A* — the black hole at the centre of our galaxy — that allows viewers to better visualise the phenomenon.

Scientists at Radboud University in The Netherlands and Goethe University in Germany used recent astrophysical models of Sagittarius A* to create a series of images that were then put together to create a 360 degree virtual reality simulation of the black hole, that can be viewed on widely available VR consoles. “Our virtual reality simulation creates one of the most realistic views of the direct surroundings of the black hole and will help us to learn more about how black holes behave,” said Jordy Davelaar, corresponding author of the study published in the journal Computational Astrophysics and Cosmology. “Travelling to a black hole in our lifetime is impossible, so immersive visualisations like this can help us understand more about these systems from where we are,” said Davelaar.

Researchers also suggest that the simulation could help interest the general public in astrophysics.