Encounters in the Milky Way
A cosmic cinema experience at the VISTA Science Experience Center
From April 2026, the auditorium of the VISTA Science Experience Center on the ISTA campus in Klosterneuburgwill be transformed into a unique cinema experience. In collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the short film “Encounters in the Milky Way”will be shown in Austria for the first time.
With stunning imagery, the 24‑minute production takes you on a captivating journey through our galaxy — from the familiar surroundings of our Sun to the distant reaches of the Milky Way. The narrator of this journey is Hollywood star Pedro Pascal, who, with his distinctive voice, tells the story of stars, comets, gas and dust clouds, and the cosmic events that shape our Solar System.
Every 30 minutes, visitors can embark on this journey through space and time free of charge at the VISTA Science Experience Center. The film transports audiences billions of years into the past and millions of years into the future.
Fascinating science meets breathtaking imagery
The film combines scientific precision with spectacular visual effects and shows how authentic research data can be transformed into cinematic art. It is based on the latest observations from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia mission and from the James Webb Space Telescope.
From these data, scientists created detailed computer simulations of cinematic quality, visualizing the movement of stars, comets, and interstellar clouds across our galaxy. The film reveals how new stars form, how the Milky Way evolves over billions of years, and even how it will one day merge with a smaller neighboring galaxy.
In “Encounters in the Milky Way”, science and visual art merge into a breathtaking experience that brings the dynamic life of our galaxy vividly to the screen.
ISTA research on the big screen
Mexican astrophysicist Santiago Torres, an alum of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), played a key role as a scientific advisor in bringing the film project to life. At ISTA, Torres modeled the future approach of our Sun to the star GJ 710 — the best‑known close flyby of a star near our Solar System — an event expected to influence the long‑term future of Earth and its cosmic surroundings. For the first time, his scientific results can now be seen on the big screen.
His research focuses on the interaction between the Oort Clouds — vast, diffuse reservoirs of ice and rock that surround planetary systems. Torres demonstrates that interstellar space is far from empty; it is filled with a population of interstellar comets, remnants of planetary formation torn from their home systems during close encounters with stars.
These “cosmic messengers” travel between planetary systems and may carry the building blocks of life, perhaps much as comets once did on the early Earth. Torres’ discoveries come vividly to life in the film, showing how fundamental astrophysics at ISTA helps deepen our understanding of the universe.
Showtimes and further information
Encounters in the Milky Way will be shown exclusively at the VISTA Science Experience Center from April 2026. Free admission.
German‑language screenings:
Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm (hourly)
Original English version (narrated by Pedro Pascal) with German subtitles:
Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 am – 4:30 pm (hourly)