Spectacular
Project Features Completely New Hayden Planetarium in Facility Dedicated
to Exhibition, Research, and Education
The Frederick
Phineas & Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space at the
American Museum of Natural History, a monumental new 120-foot-high,
333,500-square-foot exhibition, research, and education facility
with increased visitor amenities, opens to the public on Saturday,
February 19, 2000. The $210 million Rose Center and North Side project,
including a rebuilt and rejuvenated Hayden Planetarium, increases
the Museum's square footage by approximately 25 percent and serves
to expand and enhance the public's grasp of profound astronomical
concepts such as the size, age, and origin of the universe and the
evolution of galaxies, stars, and planets. Based on the latest data,
images, and discoveries, the Rose Center combines content with technologies
unimaginable until now. The Rose Center serves as a critical bridge
for the Museum by offering immersive environments about the nature
of the universe and of our planet that seamlessly link to the rest
of Museum's 42 permanent exhibition halls exploring the diversity
and history of life on Earth, and the cultural richness of our species.
The bold, seven-floor
Rose Center for Earth and Space punctuates the landscape at Central
Park West and West 81st Street with a gleaming cube of glass enveloping
the magnificent Hayden Sphere, the centerpiece of the facility.
The 87-foot-diameter Sphere, a universal symbol in astronomy and
the most common form found in the universe, contains the completely
re-created Hayden Planetarium, featuring a Space Theater where,
for the first time, astronomical data on the frontier of discovery
have been modeled into astonishing, three-dimensional, high-definition
images and, using cutting-edge visualization tools, take visitors
on a virtual exploration of the universe. The level of technology
and scientific content presented in the Space Theater has never
been available to the public before. The Rose Center also features
new permanent exhibition halls and spaces, including the Dorothy
and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe, the David S. and
Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth (which opened in June
1999), the Scales of the Universe, and the Harriet and Robert
Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway, as well as additional exhibition,
research, and education space.
"As one of the
preeminent natural history museums in the world, the American Museum
of Natural History has both an opportunity and a responsibility
to educate the public about astronomy and astrophysics and to enable
the public to keep pace with the golden age of discovery we are
now enjoying in these fields," said President Ellen V. Futter. "The
Rose Center takes our mission of sharing with the public how we
fit into our planet, our galaxy, and the universe around us to new
heights. With its extraordinary cutting-edge technology, the Rose
Center enables us to bring today's developments in outer space and
the possibilities of the future directly to our visitors. We are
proud to have created architecture in the service of science and
education, a place where people of all ages will enjoy a transporting
and transforming educational experience, a place that embodies our
role as a museum for the 21st century."
Six years in
the making, the Rose Center for Earth and Space is the most ambitious
endeavor in the 131-year history of the American Museum of Natural
History, and is a crowning achievement in the advancement of scientific
education in the United States. The new Rose Center embodies the
renaissance of the American Museum of Natural History, building
upon its great tradition of excellence and leadership in science
and education. Using the most sophisticated technologies and exhibition
techniques available, the Museum brings the most up-to-date scientific
information to the public, whether they are at the Museum's 20-acre
facility or visiting via the World Wide Web.
As part of
the Rose Center and Northside Project, the Museum has created new
public spaces and additional visitor amenities and services. A three-story,
370-car parking garage, two levels of which are below ground;
a covered bus unloading area for schoolchildren; and an additional
Museum shop, and children's shop, will open on February 19.
Opening in June of 2000 will be the Arthur Ross Terrace,
a spacious, one-acre outdoor public space, designed by landscape
artist Kathryn Gustafson with Anderson & Ray, Inc., on the roof
level of the new garage and accessible from both Theodore Roosevelt
Park and the Museum; a new neighborhood entrance to the Museum
on Columbus Avenue that is also a dramatic glass cube with superb
views of surrounding Theodore Roosevelt Park; and additional dining
facilities.
The Rose Center
is designed by James Stewart Polshek and Todd H. Schliemann, Polshek
Partnership Architects, and the exhibition design is by Ralph Appelbaum
Associates, each working closely with Museum scientists, educators,
and exhibition designers. Morse Diesel International, Inc., is the
construction manager.
A NEW ARCHITECTURAL
ICON FOR NEW YORK
A cube of clear glass atop a one-story base of gray granite set
within Theodore Roosevelt Park with a low, arching entryway, the
Rose Center for Earth and Space is a pure, metaphorical tour de
force that sits back from West 81st Street. Located on the previously
unfinished north side of the Museum, the distinctly modernist Rose
Center is neatly placed within a variety of Museum buildings, abutting
buildings built in the 1930s. Encouraged to let its creativity flourish,
the team at Polshek Partnership Architects captured the vitality
of the American Museum of Natural History in the 21st century with
a design of pure geometries whose inspirations include the 18th
century architectural theorist Etienne Louis Boullée's memorial
centograph for Sir Isaac Newton, the 17th century natural philosopher,
the 19th century literary visionary H.G. Wells, classic astronomical
forms, and above all, the former Hayden Planetarium, for inspiration.
The Rose Center reinvigorates and completes the entire north side
of the Museum complex, making the Museum physically accessible from
both 81st Street and Columbus Avenue, and intellectually and visually
accessible as a whole.
Explained James
Stewart Polshek, senior design partner of Polshek Partnership Architects,
"What I had originally conceived of as an iconic scientific tool
evolved over the development of its design into a 'cosmic cathedral,'
an intensely memorable spatial experience that is intended to awe
and inspire visitors and to expand their understanding of the wonders
of our universe and the power of scientific inquiry."
The two exterior
walls of the Rose Center cube are made of a colorless glass called
Pilkington water white, an extremely clear material. The apparent
simplicity of the support system for the curtain wall, as well as
for the roof, belies the complexity of the structural system. Tubular
steel wall trusses are braced by high-strength stainless-steel tension
trusses, and "spider" fittings hold the single-pane, monolithic
sheets of glass in place. The glass façade facing north rises 95
feet from above the granite archway, and the west-facing glass wall
begins at the terrace level. The Hayden Sphere hovers inside the
cube, the lower portion obscured by the base, so that it appears
to be rising within the structure.
The architectural
impact once inside the Rose Center for Earth and Space is equally
awe-inspiring. Bathed in natural light, visitors will be struck
by the vastness of interior space and its simple geometries, and
by the contrast between the bold, colorful planets that hang from
the ceiling and the serene, opalescent shading of the Sphere. Sweeping,
accessible exhibition spaces beckon visitors on nearly every level.
In the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe on the
Lower Level, for example, the Hayden Sphere hovers directly above,
with a majestic walkway, the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic
Pathway, emerging from the Hayden Sphere and orbiting one and one
half times around it. Three pairs of tilted steel columns support
the Hayden Sphere from the lowest level and connect to it near its
"equator," yet from many vantage points throughout the facility
they are indiscernible, and the Sphere appears to float. At the
Scales of the Universe on the Second Level, visitors walk around
the Sphere just below its "equator," and it seems close enough to
touch. As visitors look down over the railing to the Lower Level,
the spellbinding Cullman Hall of the Universe emerges with its exhibit
clusters of unique multimedia presentations, dramatic kinetic sculptures,
and colorful mosaic floor. Two bridges lead into the two theaters
in the Hayden Planetarium - the Space Theater on Floor 3 and the
Big Bang on Floor 2. Even the elevators have glass fronts, providing
an unforgettable view of the facility.
"We have worked
hard to infuse all Rose Center exhibitry with the fruits of modern
astrophysics. Our goal was to bring the universe down to Earth for
all visitors, no matter their level of knowledge before entering
the Museum," explained Neil de Grasse Tyson, associate astronomer
and Frederick P. Rose director of the Hayden Planetarium. "By organizing
the zoo of cosmic objects and phenomena around the physical principles
that unite them, we have empowered the visitor to not only appreciate
the beauty of the cosmos but to recognize how the universe works,
which is the true measure of scientific literacy."
THE SPECTACULAR
NEW HAYDEN PLANETARIUM
The new
Hayden Planetarium is housed in the Hayden Sphere, a magnificent
structure that weighs four million pounds and is covered with stretch-formed
perforated aluminum panels. The upper hemisphere holds the Space
Theater, in which audiences travel through the world's largest digitally
immersive environment that is both breathtaking and scientifically
accurate. In the theater, for the first time ever, the public will
be able to marvel at hyper-realistic views of planets, star clusters,
and galaxies as part of an exhilarating, continuously accelerating
journey from the Earth to the "edge" of the observable universe.
The possibilities for exploration are limitless. The inaugural show
of the Space Theater is Passport to the Universe,
narrated by two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. The
bottom half of the Hayden Sphere houses the Big Bang, where
two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster dramatically narrates
visual and audio effects that re-create how the universe began in
a burst of radiant energy from a point smaller than a grain of sand.
The Space Theater
uses a customized one-of-a-kind Zeiss Mark IX Star Projector, the
most advanced in the world, and the Digital Dome System, capable
of flying audiences through the digital galaxy and beyond, utilizes
a powerful Silicon Graphics Onyx2 InfiniteReality2 visual workstation
and a Trimension video display system that consists of seven Prodas
projectors. The Zeiss is the portal with which to explore the clearest
possible view of the Earth-bound night sky and the Digital Dome
is the integrated, high-definition system that simulates flight
through the biggest data-based model of the universe ever projected.
The result is the most realistic depiction ever attempted in a planetarium.
The Hayden Planetarium
is the largest and most powerful virtual reality simulator in the
world. Its unique computer and projection systems have the ability
to combine real-time visual simulations with prerendered graphics,
high-resolution video, and on-line news of current science events,
making it a state-of-the-art educational tool as well as an effective
exhibition medium.
James S. Sweitzer,
director of special projects, said, "No one, not even astronomers,
has ever been able to experience the universe in this way or on
such a vast range of scale. For the first time, we can travel through
a real, continuous scientific model of the universe. The Space Show
is designed to make us see how small we are in the universe and
it succeeds wonderfully."
The virtual
universe seen in the Hayden's Space Theater is based on actual astronomical
observations and computer models of our galaxy from the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including the Hubble
Space Telescope. It also contains data from the European Space Agency's
Hipparcos database of more than 100,000 nearby stars, and a statistical
database of more than three billion stars developed by the Museum,
among other collaborators. The National Center for Supercomputing
Applications and the San Diego Supercomputing Center contributed
significant computing and visualization support. For those sections
of the galaxy for which there is no data, the Museum constructed
statistical models that were translated into high-definition computer
simulations of our galaxy and then fully rendered.
Inaugural
Space Show - Passport to the Universe
The inaugural show in the Space Theater, written by Ann Druyan,
writer/producer and Carl Sagan's long-time collaborator, and Museum
astrophysicist Steven Soter, is Passport to the Universe,
a flight through the virtual re-creation of our universe with two-time
Academy Award winner Tom Hanks as narrator. Visitors will marvel
at planets and the starry sky; they will fly by Jupiter and its
moons, directly beneath Saturn and its enormous rings, through our
neighborhood of stars in our Milky Way, into the Orion Nebula -
the largest three-dimensional rendering of it ever developed, out
of our galaxy into deep intergalactic space, and back to Earth through
a black hole. Visitors will feel as if they are flying at a speed
of many millions of miles per second within our solar system and
billions of times faster than that beyond it.
Along the way,
Tom Hanks poses provocative questions about our place in the universe,
explains cosmic wonders, such as how new solar systems are born
in the Orion Nebula, and guides visitors through the three-dimensional
structure of the universe. A symphonic score, infusing acoustic
instrumentation with ambient soundscapes and organic elements like
wind and water, has been created by composer Stephen Endelman.
The show was produced by Batwin and Robin.
The Space Theater
has a 38-foot-high dome, 429 seats, and features a state-of-the-art
spatial sound system that controls the direction of space show sounds,
enhancing visitors' experiences of moving objects, and giving a
sense of vibration and "lift off" at the start of the presentation.
Big Bang
The bottom portion of the Hayden Sphere houses the Big Bang,
where dramatic visual and audio effects draw visitors back in time
toward the first moments of the cosmos and launch them down the
cosmic pathway. Narrated by two-time Academy Award winner Jodie
Foster, the Big Bang brings the frenzied origin, expansion,
and cooling of the universe to visitors through a symphony of vibrant,
scientifically accurate color, and washes of light. The Big Bang,
a 46-foot-in-diameter space, contains an 8-foot-deep bowl covered
by a 36-foot screen. Visitors gather around the bowl, stand atop
glass flooring, and look down into the space for the presentation.
The Big Bang uses a laser, special effects, as well as surround
sound to immerse visitors in the imagery and energy of the newborn
universe.
MAJOR NEW
EXHIBITION HALLS
Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway
Following the explosive nuclear fusion of the Big Bang, visitors
exit onto the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway,
a dramatic, spiraling ramp that ushers them through 13 billion years
of cosmic evolution. At the start of the walkway, children and adults
alike can measure the length of their stride and determine how many
millions of years pass with each step. Thirteen markers along the
way denote the passage of each billion years, and at eight landings,
computer interactives are available to help visitors visualize how
large the universe was at that point in time. To illustrate the
development of the universe, 220 astronomical images are on view
with the cosmic "redshift," a measurement that indicates the age
of the light and the distance of the astronomical objects shown.
Artifacts are also on display, including presolar grains extracted
from a meteorite, and the fossilized tooth of a giant carnivorous
dinosaur. At the end of the 360-foot circular pathway, the thickness
of a human hair illustrates the relative duration of human history,
from cave paintings to the present.
Dorothy
and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of The Universe
The Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway leads visitors down into the Dorothy
and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe, a 7,000-square-foot
permanent exhibition hall on the lowest level of the Rose Center,
underneath the Sphere. The Cullman Hall of the Universe dramatically
illuminates the stunning discoveries of modern astrophysics, examining
such questions as how the universe evolved into galaxies, stars,
and planets, and how the atoms from which we are made were forged
in the centers of stars. The Hall pulses with activity and motion,
serving as well as a gathering space for visitors to the facility.
Divided into
four zones that illustrate the processes that led to the creation
of planets, the stars, galaxies, and the universe, this dynamic
hall draws upon cosmic forms, such as spheres, ellipses, and spirals,
and features six central exhibit islands rich with astronomical
imagery, kinetic models, three-dimensional visualizations, rotating
video displays that resemble satellite dishes, computer interactives,
and more. In the Universe Zone, visitors experience a swirling
gas sculpture that shows how matter streams into a supermassive
black hole, and the Black Hole Theater conveys the extreme
forces of gravity and the warping of space found near a black hole.
A three-dimensional floating video of two galaxies colliding and
one of the rotating satellite dishes with astronomical video sequences
appear in the Galaxies Zone. A three-foot disk filled with
heated fluid illustrates the convection process within a star in
the Stars Zone, along with two six-foot rear-projections
of seething activity on the Sun's surface and a supernova, the ultimate
explosion of a star. The Planets Zone features the Willamette
Meteorite, one of the treasures of the Museum's permanent collection,
a more than 15 ton artifact from the asteroid belt, and an interactive
model that illustrates crater formation. Visitors to the Hall of
the Universe will be pleased to see popular attractions from the
former Hayden Planetarium, such as the meteorite and an up-to-date
version of the beloved "Your Weight On Other Worlds." The digital
scales provide visitors with their weight not only on the planets
Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter, but also on the Sun, Halley's Comet,
a Red Giant Star, and a neutron star. An additional scale is found
on the First Floor next to a raised-relief model of the Moon to
learn one's lunar weight.
"The story of
the formation and evolution of the universe, galaxies, stars, and
planets takes the visitor into a world of fantastic images and extraordinary
thoughts," Ralph Appelbaum, principal of Ralph Appelbaum Associates,
stated. "The collaborative design process that engaged architects,
scientists, and educators with our design team enriched our experience
and generated special insights that are reflected in the interpretive
program. Visitors are immersed in information-rich environments
seamlessly integrated with the architecture, constantly encouraging
a sense of wonder and awe."
Reminiscent
of ancient astronomy observatories, the Hall of the Universe features
nine brightly colored, handcrafted, glass mosaics that are
laid into the terrazzo floor. The mosaics include depictions of
galaxies, a nebula, a star, and a planetary surface. Another highlight
of the Hall is a darkened room with an expansion sculpture, or Hoberman
Sphere. Covered in phosphorescent points of light, the sculpture
gradually swells, demonstrating how the universe expands. In addition,
a 39-inch, closed glass Ecosphere, or self-sustaining habitat, explores
the conditions necessary to sustain life. Up-to-date images, news,
and breaking events from space, including a log of current NASA
missions, are displayed on the large high-definition screen of the
13.5-foot-long AstroBulletin. A major feature of the Rose
Center, the AstroBulletin helps to keep scientific information current
for the public in the rapidly changing field of astrophysics. Touch-screen
computer kiosks, located at the base of this electronic bulletin,
will enable visitors to delve more deeply into the stories previewed
on the big screen, see videos of space scientists explaining new
discoveries about the universe, and track recent research at NASA.
Visitors are also be able to access information shown on the AstroBulletin
via the World Wide Web at http://astrobulletin.amnh.org.
Scales of
the Universe
A major feature of the Rose Center is the Scales of the Universe
exhibit along the second floor, 400-foot square walkway that hugs
the glass curtain wall of the cube. Using the Hayden Sphere as a
basis for comparison, this unique exhibit explores the vast range
of size in the cosmos - from the astounding reach of the observable
universe to the size of our planet to the nucleus of the smallest
atom. Along the walkway, four stations introduce visitors, by increments
of the power of ten, to the relative sizes of atoms, planets, stars,
and galaxies, by using text panels, interactive terminals, and both
large overhead and small, rail-mounted models. Enormous, realistically
rendered planets, stars, and galaxies - including a nine-foot-in-diameter
model of Jupiter and Saturn with its 17-foot rings - are suspended
from the ceiling of the building.
David S.
and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth (HoPE)
The adjacent
8,830-square-foot Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth (HoPE),
which opened on June 12, 1999, focuses on how the Earth works and
its geologic history. Built around rock samples and models gathered
from around the world, together with state-of-the-art computer and
video displays, HoPE investigates major questions about Earth's
existence and its dynamic processes.
The Hall, located
on the first floor, features a stunning collection of 168 samples
and 11 full-scale models from such locales as Mt. Vesuvius,
the Grand Canyon, and the Swiss Alps. Towering sulfide chimneys
from the Pacific Ocean floor and a strikingly beautiful red-banded
iron formation that is 2.7 billion years old are some of the rare
specimens found in the Hall. Satellite images projected from within
a suspended eight-foot-in-diameter Dynamic Earth Globe create
an entrancing view of the planet as seen from outer space. The electronic
Earth Event Wall broadcasts in-depth reports of global events
such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and atmospheric conditions, as they
occur. Touch-screen computer kiosks, located at the base of the
Wall, supply further information. Located throughout the Hall are
other fascinating displays, including a touchable, moveable, cast-bronze
globe; "Sounds of the Earth" soundscapes; vibrating benches that
emulate the power of Earth's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes;
and a variety of videos and computer interactives.
Additional
Exhibition Features
Two remarkable exhibition features will be unveiled in June 2000.
Diffraction gratings will be carefully placed throughout
the glass-walled facility, creating glorious kaleidoscopes of color
as natural light streams into the Rose Center. The rainbows and
other prism effects will be cast in various areas throughout the
day. Another highlight, a modern update of a classic armillary
sphere, an astronomical instrument composed of concentric rings
that show the positions of celestial grids relative to the Earth,
will be on view at the new Columbus Avenue Entrance. With
our galaxy at the center, the armillary sphere will show New York
City's precise location on January 1, 2000.
With the opening
of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the north side of the American
Museum of Natural History will finally be completed, giving visitors
access to the Museum from all four sides. "The Rose Center for Earth
and Space is testimony to the remarkably talented, interdisciplinary
team," noted James A. Schmidt, executive director of the Rose Center
Project, "and only the combined efforts of hundreds of individuals
made this project a reality."
RESEARCH
AT THE ROSE CENTER
The Museum's
newly created Department of Astrophysics, chaired by Dr. Michael
Shara, conducts an ambitious research program, provides scientific
expertise in supporting the education and outreach activities of
the Rose Center and Hayden Planetarium, and conveys the excitement
of modern astronomy to the public.
The department
is actively carrying out research in observational, theoretical,
and computational astrophysics. Museum scientists are using all
the tools available to modern astrophysicists - ground and space-based
telescopes, supercomputers, and visualization tools - all located
within the facility. Active research collaborations exist between
Museum department members and faculty at Princeton University, Columbia
University, and other major research universities.
The research
specialties of the Department members cover a wide range of modern
astrophysics, including the evolution of interstellar clouds collapsing
to form stars, stellar collisions and their progeny in dense star
clusters, the differing populations of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy
and its neighbors, collisions between galaxies, and the large-scale
structure and evolution of the universe. "Cosmic Catastrophes -
Stellar Collisions and their Consequences," an international meeting
of leading astrophysicists, will be held at the Rose Center May
30 - June 2, 2000.
Michael J.
Novacek, senior vice-president and provost, adds, "We are all very
excited about annealing leading astrophysics research and publication
in the world's most compelling facility for displaying the wonders
of the universe."
EDUCATION
An array of materials and resources for students and teachers across
all grades and areas of the curriculum and a variety of professional
development programs relating to the Rose Center are currently being
developed. In addition, there will be opportunities for families,
children, and young adults to participate in a full schedule of
lectures, courses, and symposia on cutting-edge science and research.
All educational
resources of the Rose Center will be available to the broadest possible
audience, as educators from the Museum create materials and programs
in different formats and media, including the Internet and distance
learning that can be disseminated to such diverse audiences as schools,
families, community-based organizations, libraries, and science
centers across New York City and the entire country. Using cutting-edge
technology and the World Wide Web, the Museum will bring the latest
images, discoveries, and science into the Rose Center and then send
them out to classrooms and communities around the globe.
"The Rose Center
-- the architecture, the exhibits, the space show, the AstroBulletin
-- provides us with an amazing and unique set of tools to bring
home concepts and information about the universe, that up until
now have been too big, too remote and too complex for many people,"
explained Myles D. Gordon, vice president for education. "What an
educational opportunity: to demystify the universe by bringing the
latest scientific images, data, and understanding to learners of
all ages, and to make that information available not only here at
the museum, but using technology, across the country and around
the world."
SUPPORT FOR
THE ROSE CENTER Major individual gifts to the Rose Center have
been provided by Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose, Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Gilder, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman, David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman,
Robert R. and Elizabeth S. Barker, Joan Bull, Harriet and Robert
Heilbrunn, and the Arthur Ross Foundation. Support for the Hayden
Planetarium has been provided by a generous grant from the Charles
Hayden Foundation.
Public support
of the Rose Center has been provided by the State of New York, the
City of New York, Office of the Mayor, the Speaker and the Council
of the City of New York, and the Office of the Manhattan Borough
President. Significant educational and programming support has been
provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Major support from Eastman Kodak Company.
