Smithsonian Starstruck: An Immersive Experience - Manchester

What it’s like

A shared VR headset trip to a black hole and the Pillars of Creation, built with Smithsonian scientists, for ages 10 and up.

Everyone in your group of up to six gets a wireless VR headset and wanders round a real room while the screen shows the cosmos: stars, exoplanets, the Pillars of Creation, and a black hole you get to shoot lasers into. You see the others as floating avatars rather than just voices in your ear, so it's not the usual sit-in-a-chair VR experience, you're actually walking about. A virtual host called Astro talks you through it, and the whole thing has had input from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, NASA and the Hubble and James Webb telescopes, so the visuals are pulling from real data rather than someone's idea of what space looks like.

The VR bit is 40 minutes, but budget an hour once you count check-in and getting the headset fitted properly. This isn't one for younger kids. The minimum age is 10, and even at 10 to 17 they need an adult with them, no dropping teenagers off and going for a coffee. Motion sickness, claustrophobia and vertigo are all flagged as real possibilities once the headset's on, so if your ten-year-old gets carsick easily, that's worth knowing before you queue up.

Bags have to go in a locker, no backpacks or handbags in with you, and no drinks either once you're in the arena. There's nothing to eat or drink on site at all, but the Northern Quarter's full of cafes within a couple of minutes' walk if you want to make a proper afternoon of it. No car park of its own, the Northern Quarter Car Park is next door, and if you're coming by tram the Market Street stop is about as close as it gets.

Birthday parties run for the 10-plus crowd, with free chaperone tickets thrown in, which takes the sting out of bringing along a parent who isn't fussed about black holes.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Ages 10 and up only, no younger children permitted

Booking

Advance booking recommended to guarantee a spot

Parking

No private parking on site. Manchester Northern Quarter Car Park adjacent to venue

Food

No food or beverages for purchase on site

Dogs

Trained service animals permitted but recommended to not accompany in VR play area

Getting there by bus or train

Market Street tram stop 1-2 min walk

Parties

Birthday parties for ages 10+. Complimentary chaperone tickets available

• Ten years old is the hard cutoff, this one's not for younger siblings tagging along
• Arrive about 15 minutes before your slot for check-in and fitting
• Skip the hat, it won't fit under the headset anyway
• Anyone with a heart condition or epilepsy is advised to check with a doctor before taking part

Plan your visit

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