SCIENCE & SPACE
Explore astronomy in Lyon
The solar system, Mars, black holes, the birth of stars: set off to discover the cosmos in virtual reality, without leaving Lyon.
Discover The Echo of the UniverseA scientific experience
Astronomy within reach of a VR headset
The Echo of the Universe, our flagship experience, takes you on an immersive journey through time and space. It was developed in close collaboration with Dr Pierre Henriquet, astrophysicist, to respect the principles of scientific plausibility: real interstellar distances, the true appearance of stars, the orbital dynamics of planetary systems.
For everything about how a session runs (duration, group size, wireless headsets), head to our immersive experience in Lyon page.
For everything about how a session runs (duration, group size, wireless headsets), head to our immersive experience in Lyon page.
Exoplanets
The TRAPPIST-1 system, seven worlds to visit
Forty light years from Earth, the star TRAPPIST-1 is surrounded by seven Earth-sized planets — three of them in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water could exist. Discovered in 2017 by an international team, it is one of the most studied exoplanet systems in the world. In The Echo of the Universe you approach it as if you were there.
Mars
Mars and the scars of an ancient bombardment
Around 3.9 billion years ago, Mars went through a massive asteroid bombardment. The Hellas basin, one of the largest impact craters in the solar system, is 2,300 km across. Recent studies even suggest that the whole northern hemisphere of the red planet could be the result of a single giant impact.
Black holes
Giant black holes at the heart of galaxies
Most large galaxies host a supermassive black hole at their centre, sometimes billions of times heavier than the Sun. In 2019 the Event Horizon Telescope captured the very first direct image of a black hole. In 2022 it photographed Sagittarius A*, the one at the heart of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
The birth of stars
Witness the birth of a star
As a young star forms, it ejects jets of gas that collide with the surrounding clouds, creating luminous shock waves known as Herbig-Haro objects. In 2022 the James Webb telescope captured unprecedented images of them, transforming our understanding of how stars are born — one of the key moments of your journey in The Echo of the Universe.
A scientific outing, school groups included
This scientific dimension makes it an outing particularly appreciated by teachers and by families curious about astronomy. See also our unusual activity in Lyon page for group, family and birthday formats.
Live this exploration in Lyon
40 minutes, from age 8, up to 16 players — with family, friends or on a school trip.
Book at Immersia Lyon