Embark on an operatic, interactive journey to a witness the birth of a star

A Fistful of Stars is a 360° video: as it plays, click and drag your cursor to explore the full experience. We recommend watching fullscreen and at the 4K setting if you have a fast internet connection.

The Orion Nebula – 1,344 light-years away – is the closest site to the Earth where large stars form. Its brightness makes it visible to the naked eye. Through the lens of the Hubble Space Telescope, though, it takes on a whole different aspect as its colours and massive clouds of dust and gas come into view, offering a magnificent realm to explore in virtual reality. Guided by the musings of the Israeli-American astrophysicist Mario Livio, the US filmmaker Eliza McNitt’s A Fistful of Stars transports us from the Hubble into the nebula to witness the birth of a star. That humans are born of stardust is a well-worn refrain in modern popular science, but the message has perhaps never been delivered with such operatic flair: a technical and visual delight, the interactive film is elevated by ‘The Hubble Cantata’, a dreamy, dramatic piece from the Italian composer Paola Prestini, performed by a 30-piece ensemble, 100-person choir and an additional two singers from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera.