Rising Star Promo

Rising Star takes you on an astronomical journey from our beginnings through the development of astronomy research in South Africa and looks at what the future of astronomy holds for the country. In addition to introducing multi-wavelength and multi-messenger astronomy, it highlights the many remarkable facilities hosted in South Africa along with some of their latest results. This includes unrestricted views of the Southern African Large Telescope and the most powerful radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere, MeerKAT.
The film was supported by the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and was produced by the South African based company VR Capture. This 24-minute full-dome film offers the viewer an engaging and fully immersive 360-degree glimpse into the world of South African Astronomy.
The film is accessible to all ages and aims to excite both South African and International audiences about South African astronomy and inspire the next generation of astronomers in the country.
As the first of its kind to be produced in Africa, Rising Star hopes to stimulate the production of many more locally produced planetarium films from multidisciplinary fields, with the goal of popularising Africa’s numerous scientific achievements.
Keep an eye on your local planetarium’s show schedule as Rising Star will be shown to the public in South Africa from November onwards. The film (in both fulldome and full VR format) will also be made freely available via online channels for international audiences to download where language translations will be encouraged for greater global accessibility and exposure.