“Flying Through the Known Universe” Screens at 3D Film Festival in L.A.

September 19, 2012

This image is a mosaic of the Perseus Cluster, captured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Similar to other large galaxy clusters, this cluster contains mostly old, elliptical galaxies. Their yellowish hue is primarily due to older stellar populations, such as red giants.

A 3D movie flight through hundreds of thousands of galaxies at considerably faster than the speed of light has its world-premiere screening at the 3D Film Festival this Thursday, Sept. 20 through Saturday, Sept. 22 in Los Angeles.

Created by Yushu Yao of NERSC, with Prabhat of Computational Research and David Schlegel of Physics, the movie’s Sloan Digital Sky Survey data includes photos of some of the actual galaxies. A 2D peek – the view from the left eye – is temporarily available online, but for the 3D version, you’ll have to check out the 3D Festival in Hollywood or attend Berkeley Lab's Open House on October 13.

About Berkeley Lab

Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest scientific challenges are best addressed by teams, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes. Today, Berkeley Lab researchers develop sustainable energy and environmental solutions, create useful new materials, advance the frontiers of computing, and probe the mysteries of life, matter, and the universe. Scientists from around the world rely on the Lab’s facilities for their own discovery science. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory, managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.