How a new planetarium show helped scientists unlock a cosmic secret
This scene from the new Hayden Planetarium Space Show "Encounters in the Milky Way" at the American Museum of Natural History shows our solar system's Oort cloud with a newly discovered spiral structure.
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CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Fluke discovery at planetarium leads to revelation about mysterious cosmic cloud: "It's kind of a freak accident"
Astronomer breaks down "strongest evidence yet" of life on distant planet Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system's many secrets from an unexpected source: a planetarium show. At the American Museum of Natural History last fall, experts were hard at work preparing "Encounters in the Milky Way," a deep dive into our home galaxy shaped by the movements of stars and other celestial objects. They were fine-tuning a scene featuring what's known as the Oort Cloud, a region far beyond Pluto filled with icy relics from the solar system's formation. Comets can hurtle toward Earth from the cloud, but scientists have never glimpsed its true shape. One evening while watching the Oort Cloud scene, scientists noticed something strange projected onto the planetarium's dome. "Why is there a spiral there?" said Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist who leads the museum's educational programs and helped put together the planetarium show. This image provided by the American Museum of Natural History shows a new planetarium show showing a backwards S-shaped spiral in what's known as the Oort Cloud far beyond Pluto. / AP The inner section of the Oort Cloud, made of billions of comets, resembled a bar with two waving arms, similar to the shape of our Milky Way galaxy. Scientists had long thought the Oort Cloud was shaped like a sphere or flattened shell, warped by the push and pull of other planets and the Milky Way itself. The planetarium show hinted that a more complex shape could lie inside. The museum contacted the researcher who provided the Oort Cloud data for the show, who was also surprised to see the spiral. "It's kind of a freak accident that it actually happened," said David Nesvorny with the Southwest Research Institute. Realizing they'd stumbled on something new, the researchers published their findings earlier this year in The Astrophysical Journal. The spiral is "a striking shift in our understanding of the outer solar system," planetary scientist Andre Izidoro with Rice University, who was not involved with the study, said in an email. The discovery, relying on data on how celestial objects move and using simulations, will be difficult to confirm with observations. But knowing more about the orbits of distant comets could give scientists some clues, Izidoro said. While putting together the planetarium show, the museum's experts weren't expecting a window into the universe's inner workings. The show features many vivid scenes that may capture audiences more than the Oort Cloud, said the museum's Jon Parker - including an ongoing merge of the Sagittarius mini galaxy with the Milky Way. No matter how striking and beautiful the visuals of the show, the museum was committed to making it scientifically accurate. That's what created the perfect conditions to stumble upon something new, said the museum's Carter Emmart. "You just never know what you're going to find," Emmart said. According to the planetarium, "Encounters in the Milky Way" -- narrated by actor Pedro Pascal -- is a "a time-traveling journey about the cosmic movements that shape our galactic neighborhood." The film, a collaboration of astronomers and science visualization experts, pulls from data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission. The mission is called the "billion-star survey" as it aims to map the precise positions and motions of nearly 2 billion stars in our galaxy. The show opens to the public on Monday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How a new planetarium show helped scientists unlock a cosmic secret
This scene from the new Hayden Planetarium Space Show "Encounters in the Milky Way" at the American Museum of Natural History shows our solar system's Oort cloud with a newly discovered spiral structure.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Accidental discovery at a planetarium leads to mind-blowing revelation about one of the solar system's greatest mysteries.
Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system's many secrets from an unexpected source: a planetarium show opening to the public on Monday. At the American Museum of Natural History last fall, experts were hard at work preparing 'Encounters in the Milky Way,' a deep dive into our home galaxy shaped by the movements of stars and other celestial objects. They were fine-tuning a scene featuring what's known as the Oort Cloud, a region far beyond Pluto filled with icy relics from the solar system's formation. Comets can hurtle toward Earth from the cloud, but scientists have never glimpsed their true shape. Advertisement 3 This image from the American Museum of Natural History shows a new planetarium show, showing a backwards S-shaped spiral in what's known as the Oort Cloud far beyond Pluto. AP One evening while watching the Oort Cloud scene, scientists noticed something strange projected onto the planetarium's dome. 'Why is there a spiral there?' said Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist who leads the museum's educational programs and helped put together the planetarium show. Advertisement The inner section of the Oort Cloud, made of billions of comets, resembled a bar with two waving arms, similar to the shape of our Milky Way galaxy. Scientists had long thought the Oort Cloud was shaped like a sphere or flattened shell, warped by the push and pull of other planets and the Milky Way itself. The planetarium show hinted that a more complex shape could lie inside. 3 Scientists had long thought the Oort Cloud was shaped like a sphere or flattened shell, warped by the push and pull of other planets and the Milky Way itself. shooarts – The museum contacted the researcher who provided the Oort Cloud data for the show, who was also surprised to see the spiral. Advertisement 'It's kind of a freak accident that it actually happened,' said David Nesvorny with the Southwest Research Institute. Realizing they'd stumbled on something new, the researchers published their findings earlier this year in The Astrophysical Journal. The spiral is 'a striking shift in our understanding of the outer solar system,' planetary scientist Andre Izidoro with Rice University, who was not involved with the study, said in an email. Advertisement The discovery, relying on data on how celestial objects move and using simulations, will be difficult to confirm with observations. But knowing more about the orbits of distant comets could give scientists some clues, Izidoro said. 3 Large sphere model of the solar system in the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Denis Finnin/American Museum Of Natural History While putting together the planetarium show, the museum's experts weren't expecting a window into the universe's inner workings. The show, narrated by actor Pedro Pascal, features many vivid scenes that may capture audiences more than the Oort Cloud, said the museum's Jon Parker — including an ongoing merge of the Sagittarius mini galaxy with the Milky Way. No matter how striking and beautiful the visuals of the show, the museum was committed to making it scientifically accurate. That's what created the perfect conditions to stumble upon something new, said the museum's Carter Emmart. 'You just never know what you're going to find,' Emmart said.
