Hybrid Reality for communicating astronomy: blending traditional exhibits and VR experiences to communicate the life and science of Galileo Galilei.

The Hybrid Reality experience “Galileo VR. Life, Discoveries, Process” (“Galileo-VR” for short), is currently being developed for the Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy, the most important science museum in Tuscany that houses priceless and valuable astronomical objects such as the world’s only two surviving examples of Galileo’s telescope. The goal is to tell the story of the famous scientist, his life and the revolutionary discoveries that paved the way for astronomical observations, through the production of dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) experiences inspired by Galileo’s writings, assembled to create an immersive narrative.
This project aims to address the challenges and harness the potential of a hybrid cultural experience, aimed at enriching a traditional exhibit such as a science history museum with innovative “New Media” experiences such as VR. The outcome of this project will provide us with valuable information and feedback as the Museo Galileo has over 168,000 visitors per year.
New media such as VR and augmented reality (AR) offer unprecedented possibilities for science communication, which we intend to explore with innovative projects such as Galileo-VR.
For this project we draw on the valuable experience gained from producing the first Hybrid Reality experience in Italy, “You Are Darwin” for the Kosmos Museum in Pavia in 2023, with the goal of achieving greater synergy between traditional exhibits with physical objects and New Media, moving the bar of the state of the art for Hybrid Reality experiences.