Beatriz Garcia

National Technological University, Faculty Mendoza

Abstract

 Inspiration of Astronomy in the movies: a history of a close encounter

The connection between astronomy and the independent, widespread cultural expression of cinematography is of particular interest within the context of the Inspiration of Astronomical Phenomena.
In this lecture we go through a collection of movies that reveal how astronomy and astronomers are perceived by society. We notice the influence of the progress achieved in astronautics in the second half of the past century, and how interplanetary or even intergalactic travels have become a recurrent issue. Biographical movies  based on astronomical celebrities are rare, but some, such as Giordano Bruno, are masterpieces. In this sense, the Astronomers as main characters in cinema, support the idea of the scientist as ordinary human beings, in many cases possessing a social responsibility.

From the analysis of more than a hundred movies, we can see that this particular manifestation of art, which involves science and technology, can be used not only to reproduce astronomical events, or reproduce a particular epoch of science, but also to teach, to develop critical behaviour when faced with media information, and to show that astronomical facts can be as interesting, relevant, dramatic, happy or funny as real life. 

Biographical Details

This particular presentation is part of a cooperation between astronomers, designers and multimedia specialists. The Authors are: Beatriz Garcia, Estela Reynoso, Raul Gabellone, Silvina Perez.
Beatriz Garcia is a member of the Pierre Auger Observatory (for the study of ultra high energy cosmic Rays) International Collaboration, and has been co-task leader of Outreach. She is curretly a member of Com 46 of the IAU, and vice chair of the new NASE Project. She teaches astronomy and physics in High School, as well as at the University. During 2009 she was part of the National Node for IYA2009, in Argentina. Since 2005 she has organized the Erathostenes Project in Latin America, for the measurement of the dimension of Earth (Mendoza and University of Buenos Aires).