Scientific Data Visualization

Modern astrophysical simulations generate vast datasets — billions of particles tracing the evolution of dark matter, or terabytes of data capturing the formation of stars and galaxies over cosmic time. KIPAC's visualization and data analysis facilities provide hardware and software solutions that help users at KIPAC and SLAC to analyze their large-scale scientific data sets, transforming these numerical results into images and animations that reveal patterns hidden in the data, enabling scientific insight and communicating the wonder of the universe to the public.

KIPAC's 3D visualization theater provides an immersive environment for exploring simulation data interactively. Custom-developed rendering software converts simulation outputs into high-resolution visualizations, with techniques optimized for representing complex structures like dark matter filaments, turbulent gas flows, and the hierarchical assembly of cosmic structure. Novel algorithms — including methods that generate billions of polygons per frame — enable visualizations of unprecedented detail and accuracy.

KIPAC visualizations have been featured in major planetarium shows at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium and the California Academy of Sciences' Morrison Planetarium, reaching hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Productions including "The Dark Universe," "Life: A Cosmic Story," and "Journey to the Stars" incorporate KIPAC-created sequences showing the birth of the first stars, the growth of large-scale structure, and the role of dark matter in shaping the cosmos. These visualizations are grounded in real simulation data, bringing scientific authenticity to public outreach.
 

KIPAC's 3D visualization theater is also used to share our work and the wonder of the Universe with the public.

If you are interested in learning more or getting a tour of the KIPAC Visualization Lab, please contact the KIPAC Managing Director.