The 'Night Sky Observer', an Interactive Multi-User System that Provides Remote Night Sky Scenes Overlaid with Virtual Constellations

摘要

We propose the "Night Sky Observer" system as an application of augmented reality. This system allows multi-user observation of real-time remote sky scenes overlaid with virtual constellation through use of head-mounted displays(HMDs), and enables all users to experience a personal planetarium that they can interact with using finger pointing and gestures. In this system, remote server captures omni-directional images of the remote sky a fixed time period by using HyperOmni Vision with a high-definition CCD camera, overlays virtual constellation after matching the stars with database and then broadcasts them to clients. Each client calculates the direction the user's head is facing towards using gyro sensor mounted on the user's HMD, creates perspective image from omni-directional image sent from server and displays perspective image into HMD. With this system, users living in cities where the stars can not be seen can observe the remote sky full of stars with line representing constellation.