The SciVR experience brings our incredible Universe to you using virtual reality. With our app on your smartphone, you'll delve into a whole new world of space science and astronomy. This initiative is supported by Swinburne University of Technology, OzGrav, and the Australian Government as part of National Science Week, . If you have any questions about the science, or have something you’d like to see in SciVR then why not head to our Twitter or Facebook page and ask us?
VR Headsets
SciVR headsets give the best VR experience for the SciVR app; bringing the cosmos to you, on your smartphone. They fit most smartphones (but not tablets).
If you don’t have a mini VR headset, you can use the app in non-VR mode (single screen view). When you open the app, you can choose Magic Window view (move device to look around) or Touch (touch and scroll on screen to move).
Thanks to the support of Inspiring Australia and the Australian Government we are excited to offer free headsets for this National Science Week project.
Headset lottery is now closed for 2021. Headsets will make their way to the lucky winners! Prize pack includes mini VR headset, stickers, and instructions to start the app and join the livestream.
Follow SciVR on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date news. More about National Science Week
DOWNLOAD THE APP ANY TIME
SciVR is available free for Apple or Android, on whatever smartphone you have, and is best enjoyed through our foldable VR headsets or through google cardboard. If you don't have a headset, don’t worry, SciVR will still let you explore the cosmos in “Magic Window” or “Touch” mode. There are no in-app purchases. We do not collect personal information, please see our Privacy Policy for more details.
SCIVR EVENTS - Watch Back
Thanks to all hubs who partnered with us to run events and give away mini VR headsets in 2020 and 2021.
If you would like to watch back at home any time, you need one smartphone to run the app, and another device (computer/laptop/tablet/iPad/phone) connected to the internet to watch the presentation (YouTube video - click links below).
National Science Week 2021
Online Streaming Talk with live questions
Saturday 21st August 2021
11am AEST / 10:30am ACST / 9am AWST
This talk has Auslan sign language interpreters and is recorded for later viewing! You do not need an account to watch.
LIVE VIEWING PARTIES aND National HUBS 2021
Thanks to all these locations around Australia who were SciVR hubs in 2021. Live viewing parties were held subject to physical distancing requirements and lockdowns. All hubs are wheelchair accessible (unless noted).
Victoria
*LIVE* Alexandra Library, 49 Grant Street, Alexandra 3714.
*LIVE* Ballaarat Astronomical Society - Ballarat Municipal Observatory and Museum. 439 Cobden Street, Mt Pleasant VIC 3350.
*LIVE* Bright Library, 14 Ireland Street, Bright.
*LIVE* Castlemaine Library, 21 Barker St, Castlemaine Vic 3450.
Diamond Valley Library, Civic Drive, Greensborough 3088
*LIVE* Discovery Science and Technology Centre at 7 Railway Pl, Bendigo VIC 3550.
Eltham Library, Panther Place, Eltham 3095
Ivanhoe Library, 275 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe VIC 3079.
*LIVE* Kinglake Library, 19 Whittlesea-Kinglake Rd, Kinglake VIC 3763.
Lalor Library, 2A May Rd, Lalor Vic 3075
Mansfield Library, 2 Collopy Street, Mansfield VIC.
Mill Park Library, 394 Plenty Rd, Mill Park 3082
Monash Tech School, 29 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University, Clayton.
*LIVE* Mount Beauty, 62 Lakeside Drive, Mt Beauty.
*LIVE* Mount Burnett Observatory (NOTE: this is a private event for Young Observers), 420 Peternoster Road, Mount Burnett Vic 3781.
*LIVE* Myrtleford Library, 18 O’Donnell Ave, Myrtleford.
Rosanna Library, 7 Turnham Ave, Rosanna 3084
*LIVE* Stawell Library, 7-9 Sloane Street Stawell Vic 3380.
*LIVE* St Arnaud Library, Napier Street, St Arnaud Vic 3478.
*LIVE* Swan Hill Regional Library, 53 Campbell Street, Swan Hill.
Thomastown Library, 52 Main St, Thomastown Vic 3074
*LIVE* TwistED Science Echuca, 2 Radcliffe St, Echuca VIC 3564.
Twisted Science Moorabbin (Melbourne), 22-36 Bulli Street, Moorabbin VIC 3189.
*LIVE* Wangaratta Library, 21 Docker Street, Wangaratta Vic 3677.
Watsonia Library, 4-6 Ibbotson St, Watsonia 3087
Whittlesea Library, 57-61 Laurel St, Whittlesea 3757
*LIVE* Yackandandah Library, High Street, Yackandandah.
*LIVE* Yarra Ranges Tech School, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, Vic 3140.
*LIVE* Yea Library, 15 The Semicircle, Yea VIC 3717.
New South Wales
Bland Shire Library (West Wyalong), 2-6 Shire Street, West Wyalong NSW 2671
Coolamon Library, 129 Cowabbie Street, Coolamon.
Eastwood Library, Cnr Hillview Rd and West Parade, Eastwood.
Gladesville Library, 6 Pittwater Rd, Gladesville.
Gundagai Library, 245 Sheridan St, Gundagai NSW 2722.
Ku-ring-gai Library Gordon, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon NSW.
North Ryde Library, 201 Coxs Road, North Ryde NSW 2113.
Oran Park Library, 72 Central Avenue, Oran Park NSW 2570.
Port Macquarie Observatory and Astronomical Society, 1 Stewart St, Port Macquarie NSW.
Ryde Library, 1 Pope St, Ryde, NSW.
Temora Shire Library, 294 Hoskins Street, Temora NSW.
Wagga Wagga City Library, 243 Baylis Street, WAGGA WAGGA NSW 2650.
West Ryde Library, 2 Graf Ave, West Ryde NSW 2114.
Australian Capital Territory
Australian National University, Centre for Gravitational Astrophysics, Canberra.
Tasmania
Burnie Library, 30 Alexander Street, Burnie.
*LIVE* Kingston Library, 11 Hutchins Street, Kingston TAS.
Lilydale Library, 1947 Main Road, Lilydale TAS 7268.
Northern Territory
City of Darwin Libraries, 17 Bradshaw Terrace, Casuarina, NT.
South Australia
Naracoorte Public Library, 165 Smith Street Naracoorte SA 5271.
*LIVE* City of Port Adelaide Enfield Libraries 10:30am ACST at Parks Library, 46-48 Trafford St, Angle Park SA 5010.
Western Australia
*LIVE* University of Western Australia *9am AWST* - UWA Physics Building, Second Floor, Room 2.17 at UWA, 35 Stirling Highway, Nedlands WA. Talk at 9am then hear from local researchers and try some hands-on demos.
Kondinin Community Resource Centre, 3-5 Gordon St Kondinin WA 6367. Join us on Friday 20th August from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.
Wagin Community Resource Centre, 46-48 Tudhoe Street, Wagin WA 6315. Join us on Friday 20th August at 3.15pm.
Queensland
*LIVE* Aramac Library, 58B Gordon Street, Aramac QLD 4726.
CityLibraries Thuringowa (Townsville), 86 Thuringowa Drive, Thuringowa, QLD 4817.
KiD's fun sheets
We've designed some special activities for our budding astronomers to go along with the scenes in the SciVR app.
Teacher Assets
These classroom materials focus on key science concepts introduced in the SciVR app. They are appropriate for years 10-12.
Want to Keep Exploring?
Venture into the past with digitised copies of ground breaking astronomy texts.
FAQs
Do I need a smartphone for the live event?
No, but it’s a better experience if you have one. You will be able to watch Prof Alan Duffy and Dr Rebecca Allen describe the science in person via the livestream, and the VR (virtual reality) content will also be shown on the screen. If you bring your smartphone to these events, download the SciVR app and you can pick up a mini VR headset to clip onto your phone into and watch the VR content. If you are attending a regional viewing party, the content will be livestreamed so you can see and hear Alan and Rebecca, and you will receive a VR headset as well.
Can I bring my children to a live event?
Yes. The session runs for a full hour (sitting down) so we are recommending ages 10 and up, but everyone is welcome.
I can’t travel to a live event - can I still participate?
Yes. The Saturday event will be live-streamed so you can watch it online from anywhere with an internet connection.
What kind of phone do I need?
A smartphone: Android (6 and up) or iOS (iPhone 6 and up recommended) and access to the iTunes store or Google Play to download the free app. The app is free. You do not need to continuously access the internet while using the app unless you would like to access up-to-date information on live transient astronomical events as they come in. There are no in-app purchases.
I have opened the app, but I don't get any circle / dot / menu, just a picture of a night sky that doesn't change when I move my phone.
Can you move the phone up or down or behind you to see the view change? Does your phone have an inbuilt gyroscope? Some older phones don't have them so can't run the 360 degree view. Do you have access to a tablet or iPad you could try? If not, there will be a view of the app on the livestream so you can still see what Rebecca and Alan are referring to.
My app is drifting
If you notice that you are holding your phone still, but the images on screen are drifting slightly in one direction, place your phone flat on a table or surface and leave for 10 seconds. This should reset your phone’s gyroscope. If this doesn’t work, try exiting the app and restarting.
The SciVR app allows 3 ways to interact. If you have a mini VR headset, choose VR mode. If you don;t have a headset, choose one of the other modes.
Do I need to bring a VR headset to the live viewing parties?
If you are heading to a live viewing party, a headset will be provided when you arrive at the event. You can take it home and keep exploring the app later.
Due to physical distancing restrictions, a hub near you may be giving away mini VR headsets so you can participate at home.
If you can’t get a VR headset, you can use the app in non-VR mode. Choose Magic Window mode to move your phone/tablet around to explore. Choose Touch mode to use your finger to scroll across the screen.
THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS
2020 Recorded Talk
2020 online talk with thanks to Auslan sign language interpreters
2020 locations
Big thanks to everyone who worked with us throughout the tricky conditions in 2020 to bring you a mix of live viewing parties and watching from home. We had over 50 hubs join in with mini VR headset distribution, so thanks for all your energy and flexibility around the ever-changing physical distancing restrictions.
2019 locations
Thanks to all our locations who joined us to make our first ever NATIONAL event.
2019 recorded talk
SciVR 2019 with Dr Rebecca Allen and A/Prof Alan Duffy. Streamed live from the Eric Ormond Baker Charitable Fund Remote Observing Facility at Swinburne University of Technology..
2018 recorded talk
Below is our talk at Mountain Goat Brewery featuring Prof Alan Duffy and Dr Rebecca Allen. You can still enjoy SciVR by downloading the app and following along with us on your own headset!
In 2018, we celebrated National Science Week with two huge live events at State Library Victoria and Mt Goat Brewery, and several regional Victorian viewing parties!