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Cosmological Structure Formation in the IMAX Film Cosmic Voyage

Frank Summers, Princeton University
Chris Mihos and Lars Hernquist, University of California at Santa Cruz
Greg Bryan, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign

Note: These pages are no longer being actively updated. Some external links may have been changed or deleted.

Contents of this Page

  • GC3 and Cosmic Voyage
  • Scientific Visualization and IMAX Session at the AAS Meeting
  • Silicon Graphics Electronic Magazine Article
  • Cosmic Voyage Premiere at the Air & Space Museum
  • Cosmic Voyage Nominated for an Academy Award

    • See Also

    GC3 and Cosmic Voyage

    Astronomers from the Grand Challenge Cosmology Consortium (GC3) are providing the scientific simulations for a four minute sequence of scientific visualization in the IMAX film Cosmic Voyage. This sequence depicts the formation of structure in the universe. Beginning shortly after the Big Bang, the sequence follows the expansion of the universe, the gravitational collapse of structure, the formation of galaxies, and the collision of of two spiral galaxies. This sequence is the major section of the film that is direct scientific visualization: based on data from scientific simulations rather than artist's conceptions. To meet the intense requirements of the IMAX giant screen format, these simulations break new ground in scientific computations and utilize original and dazzling visualization techniques.

    Scientific Visualization and IMAX Session at the AAS Meeting

    On Tuesday, January 16, 1996, at the 187th American Astronomical Society Meeting in San Antonio, members of the Grand Challenge Cosmology Consortium presented a session entitled `Scientific Visulization in the IMAX Film Cosmic Voyage'. This scientific presentation plus 7 minutes of film was given in the Rivercenter IMAX Theater and was the first public showing of the scientific visualization sequence from the film.

    Silicon Graphics Electronic Magazine Article

    Silicon Graphics' web-based electronic magazine i on Visual Computing features an article entitled The Universe in a Cave about the making of our sequence in Cosmic Voyage. The article focuses on the visualization aspects and the use of large computers (especially SGI's) and intensive computational processing in the effort. As such it is complementary to the scientific viewpoint expressed here.

    Cosmic Voyage Premiere at the Air & Space Museum

    The Gala Premiere of Cosmic Voyage was on August 8, 1996 in the Langley Theater at the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. The film opened to the general public the next day, August 9. The Smithsonian Institution celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1996 and Cosmic Voyage was the Air & Space Museum's contribution to the celebration. The National Air & Space Museum also celebrated its 20th anniversary.

    The Air & Space Museum has a Cosmic Voyage Information Page. It includes information about all the sequences in the film as well as extensive background material.

    Cosmic Voyage Nominated for an Academy Award

    Cosmic Voyage was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 under the category of Best Documentary, Short Subject. Unfortunately, and to use their politically correct lingo, the Oscar did not go to Cosmic Voyage.
  • Here's a list of all the Oscar nominations and award recipients
  • Here's a press release from the Imax Corporation
  • Here's a press release from the National Science Foundation


    • Final update: December 18, 1997