Cosmic Collisions

A planet is surrounded by colliding debris in space
Available to license for your planetarium, Cosmic Collisions delves into the destructive but beautiful collisions that fuel our universe.

A radical change from our peaceful night sky, Cosmic Collisions presents the spectacular result of gravity pulling together planets, stars, and galaxies. 

Witness the explosive encounters that ended the Age of the Dinosaurs and gave birth to new stars, but also created conditions essential for life on Earth—the Sun's warmth and ocean waves.

Narrated by Robert Redford, Cosmic Collisions invites audiences to experience an extraordinary vision of these forces that continue to affect our universe.

Reviews

 “A journey I was sorry to end.” 
—The New York Times 

“As entertaining as Cosmic Collisions is… it’s the science that went into it that is most impressive.”
—Time Out New York

Visualization of the Earth's magnetic fields acting as a shield against solar wind
See visualizations of solar wind and erupting solar flares.
© AMNH
Rendering of dozens of meteorites simultaneously colliding with the Earth
Witness planetary impacts and celestial smash-ups, such as the meteorite impact that hastened the end of the Age of the Dinosaurs.
© AMNH
Viewed from space, an asteroid about 2/3 the size of Earth collides towards the globe
Watch as a possible “doomsday” asteroid heads for a collision with Earth.
© AMNH
Two bright stars are shown in close proximity against a backdrop of the Milky Way galaxy
Journey to a globular cluster where stars are packed so densely that occasionally a pair will smash into each other and form a single bright blue star. 
© AMNH
Graphic representation shows how ionized particles from solar wind deflect off of Earth’s magnetic field
Witness how most of the ionized particles from solar wind are deflected off the protective cocoon of Earth's magnetic field. 
© AMNH
Visualization of solar wind pushing specks of light out in streams from the sun
See the subatomic collisions occurring within the Sun, which release energy and produce light.
© AMNH
Millions of tiny grey and brown particles begin to combine into one large mass
Watch as molten rocks collide, fuse together, and become the Moon.
© AMNH

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The brochure cover for the planetarium show ‘Cosmic Collisions’ features a dramatic scene of colliding meteors in front of the planet Mars.

Show Brochure

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Educator's Guide

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  Dark Universe Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the award-winning full dome show Dark Universe is available to license for your planetarium.   Journey to the Stars Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Journey to the Stars reveals the fascinating story that connects us all to the stars.   Passport to the Universe Narrated by Tom Hanks, Passport to the Universe takes audiences on a thrilling journey through the observable universe.

Cosmic Collisions was developed by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org) in collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science; GOTO Inc., Tokyo, Japan; and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, China.

Cosmic Collisions was developed by the American Museum of Natural History with the major support and partnership of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Heliophysics Division.