American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh is best known as the discoverer of Pluto, but in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he is equally celebrated for his role in establishing the astronomy department at New Mexico State University. The Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science asked Ideum to create an immersive experience highlighting Clyde Tombaugh’s contributions to astronomy, one that takes visitors on an interactive tour of the solar system.
Interactive software specifically designed for the museum by Ideum’s producers, designers, and software developers allows visitors to explore different planets within our solar system. Visitors travel between planets on an animated journey, and upon arrival, visitors are given a brief history and characteristics of their chosen planet via a dynamic dashboard.
With the consent of the Tombaugh family, Ideum digitally re-created Clyde’s likeness, drawing from interviews and his autobiography, Out of the Darkness: The Planet Pluto. The digital recreation of Clyde’s voice and words serves as a virtual docent guiding visitors on an immersive journey through the solar system.
The exhibit’s audiovisual system creates an immersive environment, allowing visitors to dynamically engage with planetary content while listening to Clyde Tombaugh narrate their journey. Upon first entry into the space exploration hall, guests are welcomed by a large 20-foot by 6-foot curved video wall with a 10,800 x 3840 pixel native resolution. A wide-screen Ideum 34” Reader Rail Kiosk centered in front of the video wall invites visitors to choose their own journey across our solar system.
A performance media server, equipped with dual NVIDIA A5000 GPUs, handles real-time rendering of the 3D solar system model in Unity, ensuring smooth, low-latency visuals throughout the experience. Audio from the Reader Rail’s PC is routed to four overhead speakers and a subwoofer, creating a soundscape that complements the narrated exploration with ambient audio. Together, the hardware and software integrate seamlessly to bring Clyde Tombaugh and the solar system to life.
Journey to Pluto is part of the permanent collection of the Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science, which is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday.
