ShadowAstro: Levitating Constellation Silhouette for Spatial Exploration and Learning

ABSTRACT We introduce ShadowAstro, a system that uses the levitating particles’ casted shadow to produce a constellation pattern. In contrast to the traditional approach of making astronomical observations via AR, planetarium, and computer screens, we intend to use the shadows created by each levitated bead to construct the silhouette of constellations - a natural geometrical pattern that can be represented by a set of particles. In this proposal, we show that ShadowAstro can help users inspect the 12 constellations on the ecliptic plane and augment users’ experience with a projector that will serve as the light source. Through this, we draw a future vision, where ShadowAstro can serve as an interactive tool with educational purposes or an art installation in museum. We believe the concept of designing interactions between the levitated objects and their casted shadows will provide a brand new experience to end user.