Week 9: Space + Art

Space is defined as the unlimited or incalculably great three-dimensional realm or expanse in which all material objects are located and all events occur. Space is truly a great and mysterious entity that we have only barely begun to scratch the surface on, even today. It is a symbol of limitless possibilities and for this reason it draws interest from many people. As mentioned in lecture, people are curious about the unknown and for decades we have looked to space for ways to make sense of the world. Astronomy has deep roots in history and even long before technology was available, space was used for religious, mythological, and calendrical reasons, among others.

Today, it is very much a source of popular culture, especially in television and movies. Starting with shows like The Jetsons, a space-based, futuristic cartoon, to movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, and even Interstellar, which took in-depth research and consultation from scientists to create a credible and realistic picture. The film even included 2 robots (week 3!) and all the design philosophies were based on mathematics. 

Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne worked out equations based on Einstein's general relativity equations to enable tracing of light rays as they traveled through a wormhole or around a black hole for the depictions of wormholes an black holes in the movie. While there is science and mathematics surrounding black holes, there is so much we don't know, and the art lies in its mystery and the direction taken with it.

Links

http://www.space.com/27692-science-of-interstellar-infographic.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/space

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_astronomy

http://wildsvillegallery.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/TW1099-Jetset-Jetsons2.jpg

http://magicfromthemachine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/stars.jpg