Physics on the big screen

By Tushna Commissariat

A new documentary of Stephen Hawking’s life is due in cinemas later this summer, with the esteemed physicist himself narrating the film. Hawking, as the documentary is simply dubbed, takes a personal look at the life of the celebrated scientist – his early days as a student in Oxford and his ongoing battle with motor neurone disease – as well as documenting his academic achievements.

Fellows of the Institute of Physics were lucky enough to get the chance to watch a pre-screening of the film, hosted by the Institute last month. Hawking will be given its official UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 28 June, and will be released in cinemas around the UK on 20 September. For now, you can take a look at the trailer for the film above.

But if you can’t wait until then to get your teeth into some physics at the cinema, fret not – the European Southern Observatory (ESO), along with Film Victoria and Swinburne University of Technology, has just released the 3D astronomy blockbuster Hidden Universe. This film, narrated by Golden-Globe-winning British actress Miranda Richardson, takes viewers across the universe to marvel at the high-resolution time-lapse images of celestial structures that the ESO’s telescopes take, as well as a 3D simulation of the evolution of the universe.

According to the ESO, “Viewers will peer deep inside vivid galaxies and nebulae, travel over the terrain of Mars, and witness stunning images of the Sun. The universe is brought to life through real images and previously unseen giant-screen 3D simulations based on astronomical data gathered by the VLT, ALMA, and other telescopes such as the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, creating an immersive IMAX 3D experience.” A list of venues showing the film will be kept updated at the film’s official website here, but in the meanwhile take a look at the trailer below.