Neil deGrasse Tyson Changed Titanic Stars and Constellation Apps

by Kelly Schwarze 0

When Titanic was released in 1997, part of the media craze surrounding the film was director James Cameron's painstaking work on re-creating the ship, staterooms, and even table linens with historical accuracy. One person not impressed was astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who became a vocal critic of Titanic's depiction of that fateful night sky. In meetings with James himself and in public appearances, Neil called out the director for his inaccurate and "lazy" use of a random assortment of stars despite knowing the precise latitude and longitude where the ship sunk, and thus easily capable of re-creating the exact stars Rose would have seen when waiting in the water for rescue.

Finally, with today's Titanic 3D rerelease, scientific accuracy proves victorious as James Cameron admits his perfectionist defeat and changes the stars to reflect what Titanic survivors would've seen at 4:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912. In honor of Neil's constellation concern, download one of these four apps to ensure you always know which stars you're gazing at on a clear night.

• Star Walk for iPad ($5) — Tour the universe in all its stunning, bright-eyed wonder with this HD app that has been beautifully remastered for the retina display of the newest iPad generation.
• The Night Sky ($1) — Should you find yourself in the desert or aboard a cruise ship with limited WiFi, this is the app to have for 4G-less connectivity. View the local stars even without a data connection.
• SkyView ($2) — Point your phone's camera to the sky for an augmented reality view in 3D graphics of the stars above. Travel back or forward in time to see the sky on a particular date. Very handy should you ever make a historical film.
• StarTalk (Free) — This radio program hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson won't show you the stars in the sky, but by subscribing to the podcast, you'll stay on the cutting edge of all things space, science, and pop culture.

Photos: Neil deGrasse Tyson Twitter and Titanic Facebook