"Something is definitely making a mess there, and pumping
energy equivalent to a supernova every century into the gas. For science accuracy and expertise, SGI collaborated with
Dr. The heliosphere, roughly twice the size
of the orbit of Pluto, is shown in the dome powering its way smoothly through
interstellar medium and sheltering the solar system from much of its dust and
gases.

aladin asca

Presenters are
able to move seamlessly between real-time and playback mode, simulating events
such as eclipses and the passage of comets to create new shows to immerse,
entertain, and educate audiences. SGI's vision is to provide technology
that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the
21st century.

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Astronomers believe
massive clouds of hot gas in these galaxies have been stirred up by
intermittent explosive activity from centrally located super-massive black
holes.nasa. SGI also provided 580GB of SGI(R) InfiniteStorage
TP9100 and TP900 systems, enough to run two playback and two real-time shows.

asca hubble

It was expected the hot gas would have settled into an equilibrium
shape similar to, but rounder, than the stars. Statler and Diehl's analysis indicates the same phenomena are also
occurring in isolated elliptical galaxies., manages the Chandra
program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

messier msss

The Chandra data revealed an unsuspected turmoil in elliptical galaxies
that belies their calm appearance in optical light.
"This is another example of how valuable it is to observe the universe at
different wavelengths besides just the traditional optical wavelengths," said
NASA's Chandra Program Scientist Wilt Sanders.gov/home

BEIJING and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050120/SFTH021 )
Since its founding in 1957, the Beijing Planetarium has played a national
role in Chinese astronomical education resulting in many textbooks,
audiovisual aids and scientific works.

asca nebula

"Without these X-ray and radio
observations, we wouldn't know these apparently static galaxies in reality are
still evolving due to the interaction with their central black holes.sgi.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Lisa Pistacchio
SGI Corporate
pistacchio@sgi.

m42 spif

"
Although supernovae are a possible energy source, a more probable cause
was identified. The scientists detected a correlation between the shape of the
hot gas clouds and the power produced at radio wavelengths by high-energy
electrons . This new world-class planetarium preserves our past
while providing a window to the future," said a Beijing Planetarium
expert/specialist.

NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI, Onyx, Reality Center , InfiniteReality, the
SGI cube and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and InfiniteReality3,
InfiniteReality4 and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of
Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide.

nebulae messier

"Most elliptical galaxies have traditionally been considered to be quiet
places, like placid lakes," Statler said. The Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
The dome is powered by a 24-processor SGI Onyx visualization system with
12GB RAM and six SGI(R) InfiniteReality4 (TM) graphic pipes, each with 1GB of
dedicated texture memory. With offices worldwide, the
company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.

intergalactic heliospheric

For Chandra Images and
information on the Web, visit:

http://chandra. With this
feature audiences can make choices about where they wish to go in the Cosmos
and even chose the specific routes they want the presenter to take. The latest
innovations in automotive and aerospace design, surgical procedures, modeling
of biological molecules or virtual reconstructions of heritage sites can all
be brought into the dome. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil
more efficiently, studying global climate, providing technologies for homeland
security and defense, or enabling the transition from analog to digital
broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for
scientific, engineering and creative users.

galaxies m42

, is a leader in high-performance
computing, visualization and storage.com
650-933-5683

Lingling Zhang
SGI China
ling@sgi.

messier previewer

Except for rare
cases , violent activity in elliptical galaxies was thought to have stopped
long ago.
Repetitive explosive activity fueled by the in-fall of gas into central
black holes is known to occur in giant elliptical galaxies located in galaxy
clusters. Philip Fu and a team of scientists at the Indiana
University. "SGI Reality Center environments have been
deployed all around the world in a vast variety of areas.

m42 asca

"These results are part of an emerging picture that shows the impact of
super -massive black holes on their environment is far more pervasive than
previously thought," Statler said.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.nasa. The world's
first digital all-dome laser-projected real-time planetarium is powered by a
Zeiss All Dome Laser Image Projection system driven by SGI(R) Onyx(R)
visualization computers.
This real-time database of our known Universe will keep growing as we make
more discoveries.

aao intergalactic

The discovery of far-reaching
explosive activity, due to giant central black holes in these old galaxies,
was a surprise to astronomers.

Contrary to expectations, they found the
distribution of the multimillion-degree gas in these galaxies differed
markedly from that of the stars. "Our results show these galaxies are
a lot stormier than we thought.

aao cataloged

Arriving on the second floor by escalator, visitors can
see the 200-seat SGI Digital Space Theatre with its 18-meter dome, tilted 15
degrees.

hubblesite hubble

High angular resolution imaging
observations by Chandra indicate otherwise.
"We found the distribution of hot gas has no correlation with the optical
shape," Diehl said.
(Photo: http://www. In 2002, after intense reviews, the
Beijing Planetarium contracted Silicon Graphics (NYSE: SGI) to build a digital
planetarium solution that would represent a paradigm shift in how planetariums
can become destination spots to educate and entertain visitors.com
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650-933-7777

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astrophysicists msss

NASA's Chandra Finds Black Holes Stirring Up Galaxies

An additional 3-pipe Onyx system with
InfiniteReality3(TM) graphics is installed in the dome for show development
and pre-show presentations.

astrophysicists nebula

In the newly opened SGI(R) Digital Space Theatre ,
visitors will -- for the first time -- see spectacular high-contrast color
images including more than 37,000 stars, 30,000 galaxies, constellations,
nebulae, planets, spacecraft, and deep space objects.

intergalactic stsci

WASHINGTON, Black holes are creating havoc in
unsuspected places, according to a new study of images of elliptical galaxies
made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory."
Previous X-ray studies have shown elliptical galaxies contain multimillion
degree gas whose mass is a few percent of the stars in it.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web , visit:

http://www. In
addition, the Planetarium can be used for special events.com.

nebula deepsky

astrophysicists 321

"
These results came from an analysis of 56 elliptical galaxies in the
Chandra data archive by associate professor Thomas Statler and doctoral
candidate Steven Diehl, both of the Physics and Astronomy department at the
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
Chandra researchers presented their data today during the 207th meeting of
the American Astronomical Society in Washington .

Digital Space Theatre in New Beijing Planetarium Powered by SGI and Zeiss Provides Immersive Hands -On Window to the Universe

hubble messier

The SGI architecture allows the entire dome
display to be controlled from a wireless PDA so that even a child can visit
constellations or tour the galaxies with the press of a button.
"The new Beijing Planetarium also includes the Beijing Ancient Observatory
which has eight astronomical instruments from the Qing Dynasty and is located
near the Jian Guo Gate.

aao m16

The interactivity of the SGI Digital Space Theatre means visitors can have
an entirely unique experience. Through the Virtual Science Network, Beijing
Planetarium audiences will be connected to endless worlds of discovery."

SILICON GRAPHICS | The Source of Innovation and Discovery (TM)
SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc.

hubblesite aao

Located behind the old planetarium, the brand-new dazzling glass building
is 30 meters high, occupying 20 thousand square meters, and has three theaters
and two observatories. Andrew Hanson, Dr. This will be the first time that visitors will be able to
see visualization of the heliosphere.
To enhance the entertainment and educational value even further, the
planetarium has been equipped with a special interactive digital audience
voting system built into the armrest of each of the 200 seats. This unique
installation is now linked to the immense resources of the Virtual Science
Network, a group of scientists and researchers , all of whom are SGI customers
that exchange and contribute an amazing variety of visualization content
developed on the SGI platform to museums, science centers and educational
outreach institutions ., and can be found on the Web
at http://www.
All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective
owners.

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The Digital Universe
SGI Professional Services specially created the Digital Universe
application that can be used to run real-time shows and also create new shows.
"The world's first digital, all-dome-laser-projected, real-time
planetarium is truly spectacular," said Bill La Rosa, senior vice president
and general manager, ICON, SGI.

messier stsci

This power output can be traced back to the centers of the
galaxies, where super-massive black holes are located., For
an experience that's truly out of this world, visitors to the 2008 Summer
Games will need to go no further than the new Beijing Planetarium.
Indiana University, Dr. Priscilla Frisch of the Department of Astronomy
and Astrophysics, University of Chicago and SGI produced the "Solar Journey"
show, a NASA-funded production that was specially created for the Beijing
Planetarium Dome.
Other contributing partners for SGI were Leonard Wickberg III, Hubble
Space Telescope Science Institute, NASA; Brent Tully, University of Hawaii;
University of Queensland; David Malin and the American Museum of Natural
History-New York provided the "Search for Life" show.