Video: Computer creates virtual universe
Image: Illustris Collaboration.
Scientists have created a realistic virtual universe using a computer simulation called “Illustris.”
Astronomers counted more than 41,000 galaxies in the cube of simulated space, according to the Smithsonian Institution. The program yielded a mix of spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and football-shaped elliptical galaxies. It also recreated large-scale structures like galaxy clusters and the bubbles and voids of the cosmic web.
The team has released a high-definition video (below), which morphs between different components of the simulation.
The work was done by a MIT/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher in collaboration with researchers at several institutions, including the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies in Germany. Research has been published in the journal Nature.
Astronomers counted more than 41,000 galaxies in the cube of simulated space, according to the Smithsonian Institution. The program yielded a mix of spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and football-shaped elliptical galaxies. It also recreated large-scale structures like galaxy clusters and the bubbles and voids of the cosmic web.
The team has released a high-definition video (below), which morphs between different components of the simulation.
The work was done by a MIT/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics researcher in collaboration with researchers at several institutions, including the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies in Germany. Research has been published in the journal Nature.
Recommended: See more about the project here.
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