![SEEING STARS: Henty twins Brock and Chanelle Cunningham, 12, took part in a virtual reality astronomy event from their dad's mechanic workshop. Saint Paul's Lutheran School was sent the headsets from the local library. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE SEEING STARS: Henty twins Brock and Chanelle Cunningham, 12, took part in a virtual reality astronomy event from their dad's mechanic workshop. Saint Paul's Lutheran School was sent the headsets from the local library. Picture: JAMES WILTSHIRE](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ellen.ebsary/126d796c-03c7-47d9-8923-5836466940e1.jpg/r0_0_5161_3441_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Henty school students have tuned into a virtual-reality-assisted live-stream with one of Australia's best-known astronomers.
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Twins Brock and Chanelle Cunningham, 12, used foldable headsets from Saint Paul's Lutheran School, which was provided the gear by Greater Hume libraries.
Professor Allan Duffy joined fellow astronomer Rebecca Allen in hosting the National Science Week event.
Greater Hume library and youth services team leader Susan Kane said the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) had come to libraries last year.
"OzGrav did a virtual reality program and it was so popular - a lot of young people involved loved the experience," she said.
"It was great they were offering to send out headsets for free this year and hold the program online.
"We handed them out to schools, including in Henty."
Students used the foldable headsets with an app, which Professor Duffy called a "personal guide" to the universe.
The free virtual reality app, called SciVR, was downloaded by thousands of people - both adults, who took part in a live-streamed event on Friday night, and young people like the Cunningham twins who turned in from their dad's mechanics workshop on Saturday morning.
It's hoped the OzGrav facilitator can return in person in 2021.
Ms Kane said Saturday's event added to a number of initiatives that were going digital.
"We have two virtual reality headsets that are normally available, and we've put them away, but this might get people excited to use them when they can," she said.
"We have story time online which we're putting on Facebook and Instragram.
"Families can also book in, one at a time, to take part in story time where they can be socially distanced in the libraries.
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"Book Week is coming up in October, it was pushed right back with the hope it could run, but that's not looking like it will be the case.
"So we're going to do a Zoom for Book Week, if schools want to be involved."
All Greater Hume libraries are open and offering COVID-safe measures such as home delivery of books and click and collect.
The majority of library services were progressively reinstated from June 1, after all libraries in NSW were forced to close at the end of March.
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