ND State Historical Society
360° Night Sky Experience
The Challenge
The North Dakota State Historical Society partnered with MABU to develop a one-of-a-kind online exhibit, showcasing the State’s night sky and all it offers. They were looking for an interactive experience that users could navigate online using a standard computer mouse or VR headset, while watching an educational video providing explanation of what they are seeing.
Our Solution
Our team braved below freezing temperatures to capture a winter view from the Menoken Indian Village State Historic Site. Using a digital camera, along with PTGui software, they stitched together the panoramic photography and accurately combined it with imagery of the night sky, obtained from NASA. The result was a 360° view of the night sky from the location of the historic site. Various scenes and depictions were then animated and composited together, resulting in a fully interactive experience. A six-minute video was produced in the virtual space, featuring professional narration directing visitors to find and explore constellations, meteorites, and other phenomena found in the night sky.
