"He Got The Wrong Sky": Astrophysicist Fixes Titanic's Star Scene

Renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson famously pointed out an error in James Cameron’s Titanic, remarking that they “got the wrong sky” during the film’s most famous scene. 1997’s Titanic followed the story of two characters of different social classes, Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), who fall in love during the journey of the RMS Titanic. The James Cameron movie is based on the real-life British ocean liner, RMS Titanic, which famously sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg, incorporating both historical and fictionalized elements into the epic romantic disaster film.

At the time, Titanic was the most expensive film ever made, with a production budget of $200 million. However, its reception more than made up for its costs, as Titanic topped the box office for 12 years, as the highest-grossing film of all time, until the release of Cameron’s Avatar in 2009. Audiences and critics alike praised Titanic, particularly resonating with its themes and Winslet and DiCaprio’s performances, and it was nominated for 14 Academy Awards. As a result, Titanic is still considered a masterpiece over 25 years later. However, that didn’t stop Tyson from pointing out one major error.

Why Titanic’s Star Scene Is Wrong, According To An Expert

Tyson Convinced Cameron To Fix Titanic’s Skies

After a brief romance in Titanic, Jack and Rose find themselves subjected to the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean after the RMS Titanic suddenly crashes into a hidden iceberg and sinks. The tragic moment mirrors the real-life event, which saw around 1500 people due to hypothermia and lack of sufficient lifeboats. Waiting for the lifeboats to return, Rose lies on a door, staring up at the dark starry skies. However, in 2009, during a Cosmic Quandaries event at St. Petersburg, astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson explained that Titanic’s star scene is wrong. Check out the full clip below:

Explaining the error, Tyson said, “We know everything about how, when, and where that ship sank,” so, in the scene where Kate Winslet’s character is looking at the stars, “there is only one sky she should have been looking at… and it was the wrong sky.” What Tyson is referring to is the exact starfield, which should have been present in 1912 above the North Atlantic, was different in James Cameron’s Titanic. Furthermore, Tyson goes on to say, “Not only was it the wrong sky, the left half of the sky was a mirror reflection of the right half.”

Considering Cameron’s movie prided itself on its historical accuracy, with the director even making a trip down to see the wreckage himself, it’s clear why Tyson pointed the goof out

Considering Cameron’s movie prided itself on its historical accuracy, with the director even making a trip down to see the wreckage himself, it’s clear why Tyson pointed the goof out. In fact, Tyson is the reason why the star scene was changed in James Cameron’s Titanic, as the astrophysicist made it his mission to persuade the director over eight years. For the 10th anniversary director’s cut edition of Titanic, Tyson was then contacted by the post-production team to provide them with the correct starfield for the night the Titanic sank, ultimately rectifying this error that had been bugging him.

How Accurately James Cameron’s Titanic Depicts The Real-Life Sinking

Cameron Included Many Details About The Ship & Its Passengers

Movie magic often lends some fiction to reality, such as Titanic’s story about Jack and Rose not being real as historical fiction is not historical education. However, Titanic was fairly accurate to the real-life events of the RMS Titanic’s sinking, according to the conflicting accounts of survivors. On April 14, 1912, the crew spotted an iceberg and First Officer Murdoch ordered the ship to turn and the engines to be shut off, but there wasn’t enough time and the starboard side was hit, with pieces of the iceberg landing on the deck. These details can all be seen in James Cameron’s movie.

A composite image features Titanic characters Captain Edwards, Jaco Dawson, Rose Bukater, and Molly Brown over an image of the sinking ship

Titanic: 7 Characters Based On Real People (And 7 Who Are Completely Fictional)

Disaster epic Titanic may be based on a true story, but not every character is taken from the pages of history.

In fact, a cruise ship captain rated Titanic’s accuracy, giving the film an 8 out of 10. This is unsurprising given that James Cameron certainly did his research. Cameron incorporated the stories of survivors like Margaret Brown (Molly Brown in the movie), who helped lead the lifeboat rescues, conducted experiments about the ship breaking in half before sinking with the U.S. Navy, designed the Titanic’s interiors with White Star Line experts, and used his own underwater footage of his Titanic expeditions. Therefore, although the event still has plenty of mysteries, Tyson’s extra starfield changes have only increased Titanic’s accuracy.

Sources: YouTube