What is the Digital Universe?
What is the Digital Universe?
The Digital Universe, developed by the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium with support from NASA, incorporates data from dozens of organizations worldwide to create the most complete and accurate 3D atlas of the Universe from the local solar neighborhood out to the edge of the observable Universe.
In preparation for the reopening of the Hayden Planetarium in 2000, the American Museum of Natural History embarked on the creation of a 3D astronomical atlas to provide a framework for teaching about the discoveries of modern astrophysics. While the Rose Center for Earth and Space was constructed outside the Museum, a digital model of the Universe was constructed inside. The atlas grew out of a convergence of two great streams of technical achievement: celestial mapmaking, which incorporates centuries of observation and scientific breakthroughs, combined with hardware and software engineering, which enables sophisticated data visualization. As new data are gathered, and new tools developed, the Digital Universe will continue to expand, filling in more details of our Universe as our understanding evolves.
© 2002-2005 American Museum of Natural History
Last Modified: 2007-12-19 by Brian Abbott