“LOOK UP!” A VIRTUAL EXHIBITION ABOUT THE HISTORICAL ASTRONOMICAL ATLASES

Abstract. The new technologies are changing every aspect of our life, socially and workwise. In the same way, digital tools are becoming increasingly important to protect, preserve, and valorise cultural heritage. The digitalization of the archive’s documents and ancient books, the realisation of augmented reality apps for museums, or even the creation of virtual realities set in cultural or landscape environments that are protected or not open to visitors, are examples of the use of the new technology in the field of cultural heritage.

In this context, the projects “Cosmic Pages” and “Touch the Sky” were developed. One of the main goals of these projects is the realisation of the virtual exhibition “Look up!”. It is an effective virtual tool aimed at enhancing and giving maximum dissemination of the collection of the stellar atlases, cometographies and selenographies preserved in the Observatories of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics. This virtual exhibit was conceived and realised allowing the visitors to discover, explore, and understand how our knowledge of the cosmos, the Moon and the planets have evolved and changed with the time. Using the most advanced technologies, virtual reality, 3D models, videos etc., visitors can explore the scientific and cultural contents of the stellar and cartographic atlases.