It is a great honor to share with you the digital universe, a creation designed to help humanity understand our place in the cosmos. This digital universe was created to challenge the metaphor of the flat horizon, which has long symbolized infinite resources and unlimited capacity for waste disposal. It wasn’t until we ventured beyond Earth’s atmosphere and saw the horizon bend back on itself that we truly understood our planet as a finite entity.
The Digital Universe Atlas, a project twelve years in the making, was built at the American Museum of Natural History. This project was designed to chart the universe across all scales. It presents a view of the Earth and its satellites in proper registration against the universe. This work was supported by NASA as part of the rebuilding of the Hayden Planetarium, with the intention of sharing this knowledge with the world. The Digital Universe forms the basis of our space show productions, which are primarily held in the dome.
The project has been a collaborative effort, with internships hosted with Linköping University in Sweden. Twelve students have contributed to this project for their graduate work, resulting in a software called UniView and a company called Sciss in Sweden. This software allows for interactive use, enabling live capture of flight paths and movies. The footage you see here was captured live from a laptop in a café in Manhattan. This was part of a collaborative project with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art for an exhibit on comparative cosmology.
As we move out from our planet, we continuously journey into the realm of galaxies. The light from these distant galaxies has taken so long to reach us that we are essentially backing up into the past. Eventually, we see a containment around us, the afterglow of the Big Bang. This is the WMAP microwave background. If we were outside this, it would almost be meaningless as it is before time. This is our containment of the visible universe. We know the universe is bigger than what we can see.
Coming back quickly, we see the radio sphere that we jumped out of in the beginning. These are the latest positions of exoplanets that we’ve mapped. Our Sun, obviously with our own solar system, is also included. We have to jump in between several orders of magnitude to get down to where we see the solar system. These are the paths of Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Pioneer 11, and Pioneer 10, the first four spacecraft to have left the solar system.
This map can be updated, and we can add in new data. For example, we see the complex trajectory of the Cassini mission, color-coded for different mission phases. The software allows us to come close and look at parts of this. The software can also be networked between domes. We have a growing user base of this. When we network domes and classrooms, we’re actually sharing tours of the universe with the first sub-Saharan planetarium in Ghana, new libraries in the ghettos in Columbia, and a high school in Cambodia. The Cambodians have actually controlled the Hayden Planetarium from their high school.
In conclusion, this beautiful world that we live on is part of a much larger universe. We carry the universe within us. Being able to see our context in this larger sense at all scales helps us understand where we are and who we are in the universe.
Using the concepts from the Digital Universe Atlas, create your own digital map of the universe. Use online tools like Google Sky or Stellarium to plot key features such as the Earth, its satellites, and distant galaxies. Present your map to the class and explain the significance of each feature you included.
Download and explore the UniView software mentioned in the article. Take a virtual tour of the universe, focusing on different celestial bodies and their positions. Record a short video or write a report on your findings, highlighting any new information you discovered about our universe.
Collaborate with classmates to create a mini-exhibit on comparative cosmology, similar to the one at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art. Research different cultural perspectives on the cosmos and present your findings through posters, models, or digital presentations. Discuss how these perspectives compare to the scientific view presented in the Digital Universe Atlas.
Create a timeline that charts the major milestones in space exploration, from the launch of Voyager 1 and 2 to the Cassini mission. Include key events and discoveries, and use visuals to make your timeline engaging. Present your timeline to the class and discuss how each milestone has contributed to our understanding of the universe.
Participate in a networked planetarium session, if available, or watch a recorded session from the Hayden Planetarium. Write a reflection on your experience, focusing on what you learned about the universe and how the ability to share tours of the universe with different parts of the world enhances global education and understanding.
digital – relating to or using signals or information that is represented by discrete values and is manipulated by computers. – I prefer reading books in digital format rather than physical copies.
universe – all existing matter, space, and energy considered as a whole; the cosmos. – Scientists are constantly exploring the vastness of the universe.
creation – the action or process of bringing something into existence. – The artist’s painting was a beautiful creation.
humanity – the human race; human beings collectively. – It is essential to show compassion and kindness towards all of humanity.
cosmos – the universe seen as a well-ordered whole. – Stargazing at night makes me feel connected to the cosmos.
horizon – the line at which the earth’s surface and the sky appear to meet. – The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in vibrant hues.
resources – a stock or supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively. – The company invested in new resources to improve productivity.
waste disposal – the process or activity of getting rid of unwanted or unneeded material, substances, or by-products. – Proper waste disposal is crucial for maintaining a clean and healthy environment.
Earth’s atmosphere – the envelope of gases surrounding the planet, retained by its gravitational attraction. – The greenhouse effect is caused by certain gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
finite – having limits or bounds. – Time is a finite resource that should be cherished and used wisely.
