“Mobile Planetarium@ZIKAWEI Library” Project Launched: Pioneering a New Paradigm for Metaverse-Powered SciComm

On May 16, 2025, the Shanghai Astronomy Museum (SAM), in collaboration with ZIKAWEI Library and Shanghai Institute of Computing Technology Research Co., Ltd., launched the groundbreaking Mobile Planetarium@ZIKAWEI Library - Star Voyager XR Immersive Experience Project at ZIKAWEI Library. Through a deep integration of “metaverse + science communication,” this initiative digitally reinvents planetarium resources to create a cosmic journey blending the virtual and the real for the public. It marks a milestone achievement for the SAM in fusing science education with technological innovation.

The newly released “Star Voyager” large-space edition represents another groundbreaking achievement of the SAM’s “Mobile Planetarium” initiative in the cultural tourism metaverse sector. Specially customized a second time for ZIKAWEI Library’s spatial architecture, this project marks the museum’s first foray into external operations. Utilizing large-space LBE (Location-Based Entertainment) technology and full HD immersive modeling, it has created a brand-new “Magical Day at the Planetarium” based on highlights from the SAM’s Home exhibition zone.

The press conference also featured China’s earliest meteorites authenticated through the dual-evidence method - the Nantan meteorites. The historic specimens originate from the 1516 Nantan meteorite shower recorded in the Ming Dynasty’s Annals of Qingyuan Prefecture, forming a cross-temporal verification with the iron-nickel alloy meteorites discovered in 1958. The specimens showcased in this exhibition contain 92.35% iron-nickel alloy and rare minerals such as troilite and schreibersite. Their surfaces preserve regmaglypts (thumbprint-like indentations) and fusion crusts from atmospheric entry. Beyond serving as critical samples for cosmic ray research, these celestial fragments also forge a cultural dialogue across time and space with the original site of ZIKAWEI Library on Nandan Road, where science and humanities converge in perpetual resonance.