Shimmering clouds of hydrogen, hot gases, interstellar nebulae: the universe enshrouds its most interesting places. The flying observatory SOFIA enables scientists to explore what cannot be seen from Earth. The aircraft flies in the high atmospheric layers, where conditions are ideal for astronomical measurements. For example, researchers can study how young stars are formed.
The Public Observatory Laupheim is screening a film in which a camera team accompanies SOFIA on its journey. This film "50.000 Fuß über dem Meer – die fliegende Sternwarte SOFIA" is now also available in English under the title "Red-Eye to the Stars - the flying observatory SOFIA". Planetariums are welcome to download the full-dome version for free.
The show "Red-Eye to the Stars – the flying observatory SOFIA" begins with a take-off in Palmdale, California, and takes the viewer up into the stratosphere. Experience the unique atmosphere during a science flight aboard SOFIA and follow how the secrets of the universe are uncovered by witnessing an expedition for a glimpse into hidden regions of the universe. To illustrate the special features of infrared radiation, an elaborate animation of the Hubble Space Telescope's colorful images of the "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula was created, giving the viewer the feeling of diving into this region of star formation. The German version of the show with the title "50.000 Fuß über dem Meer – die fliegende Sternwarte SOFIA" premiered in October 2019 and is online on YouTube and available for free download as a full dome version.
Information about SOFIA
SOFIA, the "Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy" is a joint project of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is funded on behalf of DLR by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action based on legislation by the German Parliament, the State of Baden-Württemberg and the University of Stuttgart. Scientific operation for Germany is coordinated by the German SOFIA-Institute (DSI) of the University of Stuttgart, in the USA by the Universities Space Research Association.
Red-Eye to the Stars - the flying observatory SOFIA
- Red-Eye to the Stars - the flying observatory SOFIA, Download from the Planetarium Laupheim, in various formats (VR, Full HD, planetarium version); English & German version
- "Red-Eye to the Stars - the flying observatory SOFIA" on YouTube:
"50.000 Fuß über dem Meer – Die fliegende Sternwarte SOFIA"
- Virtual reality (VR) version 360 Grad
- Full HD
- Version für Planetarien (Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License), Link: Red-Eye to the Stars