Illuminating a dark universe

A hundred years ago, astronomers knew of just one galaxy: our own. Today they know the universe hosts billions. What’s more, the visible stuff of galaxies is dwarfed by dark matter, and each galaxy is racing away from the others due to an even more mysterious entity: dark energy. Dark Universe, developed by the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium in New York City, compresses a century of discovery into a crisp, comprehensible half hour.

Now showing in spots across the country, the film merges spectacular scientific results with breathtaking computer simulations. The Big Bang bangs, the speckled Cosmic Microwave Background is written onto the sky and a vast cosmic web expands to fill space. From there the story launches itself into the unknown: Scientists don’t yet understand dark matter or dark energy; large parts of the sky remain unmapped. “We stand on the threshold of great discoveries, and always will, as long as we keep exploring,” says narrator and Hayden director Neil deGrasse Tyson. In an era of dwindling research budgets, it’s a timely message.

Now showing

Einstein Planetarium at National Air & Space Museum

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

Hayden Planetarium at American Museum of Natural History

NEW YORK CITY

Morrison Planetarium at California Academy of Sciences

SAN FRANCISCO

Stardome Observatory & Planetarium

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND (coming soon)

Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (coming soon)

Check your local planetarium for other showings