Black holes are one of the most fascinating things about space, and thanks to a new YouTube video, anyone can now experience falling into one in virtual reality. In 2021, VR has been implemented in some truly fascinating ways. The last few months have seen VR used to reduce anxiety in cows, create virtual workplaces with Facebook's Horizon Workrooms, and even host a virtual version of the iconic Burning Man festival.
One of the beauties of virtual reality is how it enables people to experience things that otherwise aren't possible. Not everyone can view the streets of Italy or fight an army of robots in real life, but they certainly can in VR. For fans of space exploration, it's been inspiring to see VR technology applied to the great beyond. Existing VR apps already enable people to take part in Apollo 11 or visit the International Space Station. Now, a new experience puts folks right in the middle of a black hole.
ScienceClic — a popular YouTube channel that creates educational videos about wormholes, relativity, and other subjects — recently uploaded a new video titled "Falling into a realistic Black Hole (VR 360°). As the name implies, the video shows a fairly accurate representation of what would happen if someone fell into a black hole. ScienceClic describes it as "A visual and sound experience based on true general relativity calculations."
How To Watch The Black Hole Video In VR
There are two ways to watch the video — either in 360° or in proper virtual reality. If reading this article from a phone or computer, tapping/clicking the video above will immediately start playing it on your device. Once it begins, drag your finger or click/hold your mouse around the video to change the angle in any way. Users have full 360° control of what they're looking at, thus providing a fairly immersive viewing experience on any device.
However, for anyone able to, it really is worth watching the video with a proper VR headset. Whether that's an Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, or anything else, viewing this in virtual reality is as easy as opening the YouTube app, finding the video, and clicking play. Users can see all the different angles of the black hole just by moving their head in this mode — further adding to the feeling of really being stuck inside it.
While the video is just two minutes long, it is a pretty impressive two minutes. It shows the black hole at the center, the event horizon surrounding it, and the viewer gets closer and closer until they eventually go right into the black hole. ScienceClic has a longer video actually explaining the intricate details of what all happens during this process. Still, as a bite-sized experience that puts someone right in the action, this is amazing.
Source: ScienceClic