High-Level Project Summary
This projects aims at educating space enthusiasts about stellar variability. A game containing two levels is made aiming at teaching the user about variable stars. An educational video will be followed by a quiz testing the user's understanding. Scientists study about stellar variability to know the distances to distant galaxies, to know if there exists Earth like exoplanets, to know about evolution, mass, radius, temperature, luminosity, etc of stars in the universe.
Link to Final Project
Link to Project "Demo"
Detailed Project Description
This project has a game containing two levels aiming at teaching the user two types of variable stars which include extrinsic and intrinsic. The game starts with an intro video explaining star birth. Then, the level 1 contains a video on a variable star Betelgeuse and a quiz related to it. To save the star from bursting and becoming a super nova, the user has to win the quiz and provide the fuel required for the star to survive. In level 2, a video explaining about another type of stars called the eclipsing binary and a quiz related to it is provided. The user should win the quiz in order to save the stars in the eclipsing binary system from collapsing into each other and forming a super giant. The exoplanets orbiting around this system will be affected enormously if the apocalypse happens.
The game makes the user learn through a fun and interactive platform. It can be developed in the future taking into account the number of variable stars in our galaxy.
We have used Unity game engine to develop the game. A google drive link of the application is uploaded as the size of the project is huge.
Space Agency Data
We have used NASA space image galleries, sounds, etc. Studied datasets on different stars. we acquired knowledge from the given data sets and have designed our game in such a way that it is both interactive and educative for the user. we have used the information about different types of variable stars to demonstrate its looks and their properties.
Hackathon Journey
Our team had a great experience and we got to explore about many domains and learn new things about space and stellar variability. We have learned how to work as a team ad over come challenges . We are group of star enthusiasts who love the night sky so we wanted to take up this problem statement. We used unity engine to develop the game based on the research and the prototype is easily converted into VR mode or a normal 2D game. We had some brain storming session to come up with a particular solution.
References
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html&ved=2ahUKEwjuvdOck8L6AhV7cGwGHWRfAaQQFnoECAoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0ZjuhDXWpIgeYrG6jwpt-G
https://youtu.be/yxMzAw2Sg5w
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia16464-life-and-death-in-a-star-forming-cloud
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/whats-up-december-2017
Tags
#twinkle #stars #stella