How do you shop for Carl Sagan? I was never quite sure what to get him. Astronomical art? A traditional tie? Some years I made better choices than others, but too often I found it baffling.
For this Father's Day, I'd like to announce the launch of a project I'm sure he would have loved. It shouldn't surprise you to know Dad was wild about planetariums. He took me to several growing up and I remember well the shared joy of sitting together in the audience, watching those wondrous shows. Now I've written one. For the past several months, I've been collaborating with the Adler Planetarium on the flagship show for their new, groundbreaking (heck, call it skybreaking) Deep Space Adventure program. It's called The Searcher and it's been a fantastic experience to work on, both a pleasure and an honor, and my heart practically breaks at how proud he'd be.
The Searcher features scientific simulations from powerful supercomputers and observations from the most advanced telescopes in existence, resulting in breathtaking visualizations that capture the audience’s attention and brings the action up close. Watch as a star is torn apart by a black hole, witness the collision of two massive galaxies, view the formation of the large-scale structure of the Universe, and encounter a dramatic supernova explosion.The Grainger Sky Theater will project the largest single seamless digital image in the world with an ultra high definition screen resolution of more than 8k x 8k pixels. This far surpasses the cinematic standard of 2k x 4k pixels, presenting a level of realism that can only be surpassed by actual space travel.
Vivid images of planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial objects are shown in the highest resolution and quality possible to evoke the feeling of being in deep space. The on-screen imagery will expand beyond the traditional 180-degree dome, surrounding the visitor with a 360-degree experience using special lighting effects in the floor.
It's going to be a truly spectacular experience. In coming weeks, I'll post updates here on my blog and on my Twitter feed. You can also keep up with the latest developments at the Adler's Deep Space Adventure page, or on their YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages.
The Searcher premiers on July 8th and it's set to run for about a year, so if you find yourself in the Chicago area during that time, I hope you'll give it a whirl.
Subscribe to Nick Sagan Online
congratulations!
lucky chicago...
Posted by: helen sotiriadis | June 19, 2011 at 07:14 PM
I was checking out your site...Nice! I'm a Trekkie and one of my favorite shows is Star Trek Voyager. Great work on season 5... I was looking for your facebook page to like and noticed we had the same birth-date.. ;-) keep up the good writing......
Posted by: Arthur Lane | June 20, 2011 at 08:26 AM
Thanks, both of you!
Arthur, in case you haven't seen it, here's a link to surrealist Rene Magritte's "September 16" where the moon's out in front of the tree.
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7829/1711/1600/rene-magritte-1957-september-16.jpg
Just love that painting so I like to make sure fellow September 16thers know about it.
Posted by: Nick Sagan | June 20, 2011 at 09:31 AM
What a strange coincidence...my childhood friend was born on September 16th!
Anyhoo, that's a very touching pic. I'm sure he'd enjoy what you're doing for him if he were still with us!
<3
Posted by: Eva | June 20, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Much appreciated, Eva!
Y'know, over the years I've noticed a fairly high concentration of fellow September babies. Might just be false pattern recognition on my part, but I imagine many conceptions happen over the December holidays.
Posted by: Nick Sagan | June 20, 2011 at 11:34 AM
@Nick- My thoughts also.
I am from the deep south (Alabama gulf coast) where December can be warm and not always cold enough for snuggling. My parents where in fact up north in December a year before my birth! Could be a Norman Rockwell pattern! lol
Posted by: Arthur Lane | June 20, 2011 at 04:06 PM
Sorry for the double post.
BTW.. Nice art work!
Posted by: Arthur Lane | June 20, 2011 at 04:18 PM
Great Father's Day gift for your dad and for Adler Planetarium. Tears to my eyes and wishes to be there to see and feel the show.
Posted by: Hetty | June 22, 2011 at 11:23 PM
This is a great show for all the fathers in Chicago.
Posted by: Nan | July 11, 2011 at 12:42 AM
You have a fabulous blog! I want to award you the Best of Sci/Fi Blog Award for all the hard work you do!
Go to http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html and pick up your award.
~Deirdra
Posted by: Deirdra Coppel | August 01, 2011 at 04:03 PM
What a nice photo Nick. You're a Photoshop maven?
Posted by: Pat | November 05, 2011 at 02:27 PM
Dad, who is our second God, is accountable for our overall look on this world and who has given us lifestyle to stay. He is not only accountable of providing us lifestyle but also behind our knowledge, increasing up and also for everything which we required in lifestyle.Fathers Day Messages
Posted by: Fathers Day Messages | May 22, 2012 at 08:02 AM