Virtual Reality Application for Simulation of Celestial Bodies Movement in Archaeoastronomy
Manuella Ivana Uli Sianipar- Agung Dewandaru- Hakim Luthfi Malasan

Institut Teknologi Bandung

Abstract

Archaeoastronomy explores how ancient structures relate to celestial phenomena, yet tools for visualizing historical skies from specific times and places remain limited. This study introduces a Virtual Reality (VR) sky simulation system developed in Unity for the Meta Quest 2, aimed at recreating past skies with a case focus on Borobudur temple, believed to have astronomical alignments, especially at its eastern gate. Users can enter parameters such as date, time, and location to view the sky from a chosen moment in history. The system calculates celestial positions using precession, nutation, and horizontal coordinate conversion, then renders the scene in real time using GPU instancing and the Unity Job System. Testing demonstrated accurate positioning, stable performance (averaging 71 FPS), and high immersion, with an IPQ score of 6.22 out of 7. A case simulation on March 21 at 07:00 AM showed the Sun at an azimuth of 89.88 degree, closely aligned with Borobudur^s eastern entrance.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, sky simulation, archaeoastronomy, Unity, Meta Quest 2, precession, star visualization

Topic: Astronomical History and Heritage