Renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrᴀsse Tyson famously pointed out an error in James Cameron’s тιтanic, remarking that they “got the wrong sky” during the film’s most famous scene. 1997’s тιтanic 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 тιтanic. The James Cameron movie is based on the real-life British ocean liner, RMS тιтanic, 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, тιтanic 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 тιтanic 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 тιтanic, particularly resonating with its themes and Winslet and DiCaprio’s performances, and it was nominated for 14 Academy Awards. As a result, тιтanic is still considered a masterpiece over 25 years later. However, that didn’t stop Tyson from pointing out one major error.

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

Tyson Convinced Cameron To Fix тιтanic’s Skies

After a brief romance in тιтanic, Jack and Rose find themselves subjected to the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean after the RMS тιтanic 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 deGrᴀsse Tyson explained that тιтanic’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 тιтanic. 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. In fact, Tyson is the reason why the star scene was changed in James Cameron’s тιтanic, as the astrophysicist made it his mission to persuade the director over eight years. For the 10th anniversary director’s cut edition of тιтanic, Tyson was then contacted by the post-production team to provide them with the correct starfield for the night the тιтanic sank, ultimately rectifying this error that had been bugging him.

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

Cameron Included Many Details About The Ship & Its Pᴀssengers

Movie magic often lends some fiction to reality, such as тιтanic’s story about Jack and Rose not being real as historical fiction is not historical education. However, тιтanic was fairly accurate to the real-life events of the RMS тιтanic’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.

In fact, a cruise ship captain rated тιтanic’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 тιтanic’s interiors with White Star Line experts, and used his own underwater footage of his тιтanic expeditions. Therefore, although the event still has plenty of mysteries, Tyson’s extra starfield changes have only increased тιтanic’s accuracy.

Sources: YouTube