New York's American Museum of Natural History is launching a new film at the Hayden Planetarium titled "Encounters in the Milky Way," narrated by actor Pedro Pascal. Opening June 9, the 30-minute show uses data from the European Space Agency's Gaia observatory and contributions from over 20 academic institutions to map the sun's journey through the Milky Way over billions of years. The project involved astronomers, artists, and science visualization experts, with a score by composer Robert Miller and direction by museum trustee Shawn Levy.
This film matters because it represents a significant fusion of cutting-edge astronomical data and artistic visualization, making complex cosmic science accessible to the public. It marks the 25th anniversary of the Rose Center for Earth and Space and continues the planetarium's tradition of using celebrity narrators—following Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Robert Redford, Whoopi Goldberg, and Neil deGrasse Tyson—to draw audiences into immersive educational experiences. The project also highlights how museums can leverage Hollywood talent and interdisciplinary collaboration to communicate scientific discovery.