Spectacular Galaxy Collision Visualization

Cosmiverse ^ | April 9, 2002 08:30 CST

[Texaggie79]

Spectacular Galaxy Collision Visualization
April 9, 2002 08:30 CST

Someday our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy may come crashing together in a horrendous collision that will twist and distort their shapes beyond recognition. Of course, to see that, you'll have to wait several billion years. But thanks to a combination of research science, Hollywood computer graphics, and large-scale, "immersive" visualization, visitors to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, can witness such an event today.

Left image: This image is a sample frame from the galaxy collision scientific visualization for the Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. It is a fisheye projection of the three-dimensional hemispherical dome into a two-dimensional flat image. The image shows part of the aftermath of a galaxy collision. The tidal forces of gravity have strongly distorted the galaxies' shapes, creating long plumes of material called 'tidal tails'. Click image to enlarge.

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, MD, the scientific home of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is extending its tradition of stunning imagery by creating a spectacular scientific visualization of two galaxies colliding. This incredibly detailed and immersive, full-dome video sequence will be a highlight of "Infinity Express: A 20-Minute Tour of the Universe," the inaugural show in the National Air and Space Museum's newly renovated Einstein Planetarium, opening Saturday, April 13.

Right image: This image is a still frame from a standard video presentation (i.e., for television instead of a planetarium dome) of the galaxy collision scientific visualization. The two galaxies are being pulled together by their mutual gravity. Their shapes stay pretty much the same right up until they collide. Click image to enlarge.

The scientific visualization by Dr. Frank Summers, an astrophysicist in STScI's Office of Public Outreach, depicts a tremendous collision of two spiral galaxies. Because such events take hundreds of millions of years to occur, researchers use supercomputer simulations to study how galaxies are transformed and merge together. Dr. Summers has taken research data provided by Dr. Chris Mihos (Case Western Reserve University) and Dr. Lars Hernquist (Harvard University), and visualized it using the same software that Hollywood uses to produce blockbuster visual effects.

The result brings astrophysics out of the academic setting and presents a scientifically correct, yet compellingly beautiful animation directly to the planetarium audience. "By combining research simulations with Hollywood visualization techniques, we can create animations that are both accurate and artistic, while visually communicating complex astronomical events and ideas to the public," says Dr. Summers.

Left image: This image is a still frame from a standard video presentation (i.e., for television instead of a planetarium dome) of the galaxy collision scientific visualization. After a head-on collision, the galaxies' shapes are strongly disrupted. The tidal forces of gravity have created long plumes of material called 'tidal tails'. The central regions will relatively quickly fall back together and merge into a single remnant galaxy. Such a collision may occur for our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy in about five billion years. Click image to enlarge.

This contribution to the National Air and Space Museum marks the first release of scientific visualizations for full-dome video planetariums from the Informal Science Education Group at STScI. While Hubble images are a mainstay of planetarium shows, full- dome scientific visualizations represent a new level of astronomy outreach.

"NASA imagery will greatly benefit this emerging planetarium technology, and we can provide high-quality, dynamic content backed by the expertise of Hubble astronomers," says John Stoke, manager of Informal Science Education at STScI. Going forward, his group will distribute this galaxy collision sequence and other full dome scientific visualizations, free of charge, to planetariums and show producers across the country and around the world.

Left image: This architectural rendering shows a cut-away view of the renovated Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum. Part of the planetarium dome has been removed to show the interior layout and the galaxy collision scientific visualization projected onto the dome. The acompanying sample frame is shown as it would be projected for the planetarium audience. The galaxy collision stretches across the dome and surrounds the viewer in the experience. Click image to enlarge.

Planetariums have entered a new era of full-dome digital video that immerses the viewer in the dynamic wonders of the universe. The video, projected across the entire hemisphere of a planetarium dome, has up to 23 times the resolution of a standard television and is wrapped 360 degrees around the audience, surrounding them in the experience.

While such systems are generally only in the larger planetariums today, technological advances are bringing the capability for full-dome video to thousands of smaller planetariums in the next couple of years. Worldwide, 100 million people visit planetariums every year.

This work is partially supported by the National Science Foundation through the National Computational Science Alliance and the Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure. The National Air and Space Museum is owned and operated by the Smithsonian Institution.

Source: STScI; NASA and F. Summers (Space Telescope Science Institute), C. Mihos (Case Western Reserve University), L. Hernquist (Harvard University)

[Texaggie79]

ping

[JRandomFreeper]

Someday our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy may come crashing together in a horrendous collision that will twist and distort their shapes beyond recognition.

Typical scientists, bring up a problem without offering a solution. Someone should be working on fixing this. But no, we'll wait until the last minute.

/john

[PatrickHenry]

Someday our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy may come crashing together in a horrendous collision that will twist and distort their shapes beyond recognition.

I have enough to worry about already.

[Texaggie79]

Will it make me look thinner?

[blam]

There is some evidence that the Milky Way galaxy collided with another galaxy in the past. So.....

[Ward Smythe]

Someday our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy may come crashing together in a horrendous collision that will twist and distort their shapes beyond recognition.

I never know what to wear for a galaxy collision...

[Physicist]

This wouldn't happen if our Milky Way were only "fun size".

[sphinx]

Unfortunately, women and blacks will be most affected.

[Texaggie79]

Do you like nugat(sp?) filling?

[longshadow]

Someday our Milky Way Galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy may come crashing together in a horrendous collision that will twist and distort their shapes beyond recognition.

Any idea if the IRS will give us an extension to file our tax return when this happens?

[PatrickHenry]

Any idea if the IRS will give us an extension to file our tax return when this happens?

They're always reasonable and understanding. I remember how they gave us extra time after Hurricane Andrew. I'm sure you can get an extension if the galaxies collide. Just fill out the form properly. Put your trust in the IRS.

[Scully]

RadioAstronomer's ping-list!

[realpatriot71]

[gcruse]

Astronomers say Galaxies will Collide

                          Thousands flee cities.

[edwin hubble]

There are more likely things to worry about (than our sun hitting something).

Interesting that in a galaxy collision the galaxies can become distended or intertwined.
But star collisions during the process would be extremely rare. It's just statistically unlikely that stars would hit something.
If our sun were an orange in New York, then the nearest star would be an orange in Los Angeles. (for scale).
But two galaxies in scale might be more like two footballs eight to ten feet apart (Milky Way and Andromeda). So galaxy collisions are relatively common.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[fire and forget]

Thanks for the ping. Whether or not we collide with a neighboring galaxy or not, humans have some things to consider on a cosmological scale and in the course of time. Quite a few things, actually, if we survive into the periods where these things will occur.

I'm hopeful that we'll survive. If we do, we'll likely have access to resources and technology that will prevent our extinction; provided the dems, liberals and their ideological successors don't screw it all up for humanity.

[PatrickHenry]

An ancient SF series of novels (by Doc. EE Smith, I believe) began with a galaxy collision. Perhaps it was the Lensman series, I've forgotten. The collision of galaxies with all the near fly-bys of the stars -- according to the theory prevelant in the 1930s -- is what caused the planets to form. There was some ghastly evil species in the other galaxy that dominated things, and their rivals, the good guys who were on "our" side, and some human hero, Kimball Kinnison, who had been bred for hundreds of generations. I think Spartacus was one of his ancestors.

[VadeRetro]

Thousands flee cities.

The Washington Post version:

UNIVERSE TO END TOMORROW!
Women and minorities will suffer most.