Explore the Universe with "Protoplanet Express"!

24 November, 2023 / Read time: 2 minutes

The Millennium Nucleus for Planetary Formation (NPF) developed an educational video game with ALMA images called "ProtoPlanet Express," an interactive adventure in which its players move through protoplanetary systems. Developed under the direction of astrophysicist Jorge Cuadra, this video game is the result of a collaborative effort that began in early 2022.

"ProtoPlanet Express" allows you to explore three-dimensional models of protoplanetary disks based on accurate scientific simulations generated from data from ALMA and other astronomical observatories, providing a close and realistic view of these fascinating systems where new planets form. These simulations are the result of the work of the NPF team together with international collaborators.

The video game was developed by engineering students from the Federico Santa María Technical University and the Adolfo Ibáñez University and has already been used by boys, girls, and adolescents at science fairs in Chile and Germany. It is now accessible to everyone for free on the Steam video game platform on various operating systems.

"The game very well fulfills the role of entertaining as well as educating about what protoplanetary disks are and their different characteristics," says Camilo Saldías, software engineer at ALMA, who attended the launch on behalf of his institution. "It is interesting to observe how the knowledge generated by the observatory not only ends in scientific discoveries but also in formats that are easier to access for the public, like this game," adds Saldías.

We invite you to immerse yourself in "ProtoPlanet Express" and experience the excitement of discovering protoplanetary systems hundreds of light-years from Earth. Learn and have fun with this cosmic adventure that unites science and entertainment!

Additional Information

ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA), and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), NSTC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

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