A "dark" victory for space exploration.

• Position: The Universe - Dark Universe

Featuring exquisite renderings of cosmic phenomena, seminal scientific instruments, and spectacular scenes in deep space, the Hayden Planetarium space show "Dark Universe" celebrates the pivotal discoveries that have led us to greater knowledge of the structure and history of the universe and our place in it--and to new frontiers for exploration.

"Dark Universe" whisks audiences out of the Milky Way galaxy, drops them alongside a parachute descending through Jupiter's atmosphere, and brings them all the way to the afterglow of the Big Bang, while revealing the breakthroughs that have led astronomers to confront two g great cosmic mysteries: dark n matter and dark energy

"The American Museum of Natural History is grounded in the idea of educating the public about the natural world and, in the same way that our historic dioramas open a window into wildlife, the Hayden Planetarium opens a visually spectacular window into space," says Ellen Futter, AMNH president "... 'Dark Universe' offers visitors of all ages front-row seats to the beauty and mystique of our universe with scientifically accurate and stunning visualizations."

This is an immersive theater experience based on authentic data from NASA and European Space Agency missions, ground-based telescopes, supercomputer simulations, and research conducted at institutions around the globe.

It begins with a scene millions of light years away from Earth. After flying to our own Milky Way galaxy, viewers arrive at California's Mt. Wilson Observatory, where Edwin Hubble's discovery that the universe is expanding first points to the Big Bang. That initial discovery, and ever-more-powerful instruments on the ground and in space led to other breakthroughs that have given astronomers an increasingly detailed and precise picture of how our universe formed and evolved.

However, these revelations also have uncovered intriguing new mysteries...