Digital Galaxy Project
The principal aim of the Digital Galaxy Project is to create
scientifically accurate three dimensional maps of the Milky Way galaxy.
To this end, the Digital Galaxy team is creating a series of increasingly
detailed maps based on current astronomical knowledge and theory. Embedded
with hyperlinks to more information about the Galaxy, these animated maps
will serve as reference tools for exploring the structure of our galaxy,
from the spiral arms and galactic bulge down to its basic components: the
stars and interstellar medium. By transforming scientific data into three
dimensional visual information, the Digital Galaxy Project provides a unique
perspective for understanding the size and scale of the Milky Way, unattainable
in any other way. The Galaxy Map, Visual Archive, and Data Archive are the
principal deliverables of the project. They will be available to the public
on the Hayden Planetarium website and will be presented in ways to best
serve our three main constituencies: the astronomical research community,
educators and students, and the public. If you need additional information
regarding the Digital Galaxy Project, please contact me, the Project Manager
Dennis Davidson , or Neil Tyson ,
Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
Request to use Astro Images from your WWW Site
Dear Mr. Kitahara,
I am writing to request permission to include of your astronomical images
featured on your WWW site (http://www.janis.or.jp/users/kitahara/english-index.html)
in the online Visual Assets Archive that we are creating to support the
NASA-funded Digital Galaxy Project, currently in development at the American
Museum of Natural History in New York. Along with Image Researcher Dan Barron,
I am responsible for collecting and organizing astronomical images for research
and exhibition development for the new Rose Center for Earth and Space here
at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and for development
and artist reference for the Digital Galaxy Mapping Project. The first version
of the Visual Assets Archive (under construction now) will be accessible
via a WWW browser for internal American Museum of Natural History and Digital
Galaxy Project research and development use only. Eventually, some of the
imagery collected will be published as part of an online Visual Assets Archive
available to the Public, along with original images and animations created
in-house by the Galaxy Project visualizers. The DGP Visual Archive will
include several hundred galactic images and images of notable astronomical
objects within the Milky Way and neighboring galaxies, all collected from
different observatories and NASA projects. Original images and animations
will also be created in-house by the Galaxy Project visualizers. A big component
of our Visual Archive will be the extensive metadata that is included with
each visual asset, including copyright information, terms of use, source,
creator, and creation date. Usage guidelines established by copyright holders
will be made readily apparent to archive users. The inclusion of your amazing
astronomical images would add a lot to the Visual Archive project. Please
let me know how you would feel about allowing us to include your images
in our Archive. For now, imagery is being used for in-house artist reference
and exhibition development. Permission to use your images for anything else,
including other WWW sites or in the new Planetarium Exhibitions, would be
asked for on a separate, case-by-case basis.
Best Regards,
Daryl Gammons
Visual Assets Manager
Digital Galaxy Project
American Museum of Natural History 212.496.3311