The Brian Lehrer Show Mapping the Stars
Jun 10, 2025
Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist and educator at the American Museum of Natural History, shares insights about a captivating new show at the Hayden Planetarium. She discusses the Gaia mission's groundbreaking star mapping and the discovery of a spiral structure in the Oort cloud. The show immerses audiences in the dynamics of star formation and cosmic motion, illustrating the sun's vast journey through the galaxy. Faherty also emphasizes how visualization in astrophysics can make complex concepts more accessible and engaging for everyone.
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Immersive Galactic Motion Visualization
- The new show "Encounters in the Milky Way" uses data from ESA's Gaia mission to map 2 billion stars and highlight cosmic motion.
- It visualizes the solar system's movement through the galaxy and stellar encounters, offering an immersive cosmic journey.
Galactic Motion's Impact on Earth
- The solar system moves at about 200 km per second around the galaxy, changing its galactic environment over time.
- Understanding this motion helps predict cosmic conditions and their impacts on Earth over long timescales.
Solar System's Galactic Age
- Our solar system is about 4.5 billion years old and has orbited the galaxy roughly 20 times, defining its "galactic age."
- This concept reframes our age in terms of cosmic cycles, underscoring our place in the Milky Way.