Watch: New Documentary Follows the Hunt for Gravitational Waves

By Nancy Atkinson - April 21, 2014 at 5:31 PM UTC | Physics

A newly released documentary brings you behind the scenes in the hunt for gravitational waves. The 20-minute film, called "

LIGO, A Passion for Understanding

," follows the scientists working to create one of the most powerful scientific tools ever made: the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories (LIGO). You can watch the documentary above.

Scientists have long theorized that the energy released in extremely energetic events -- such as stars exploding or black holes colliding -- would disturb the very fabric of the space-time continuum, much like ripples in a pond. These ripples are called gravitational waves, and while proving the existence of these waves has been difficult, their detection would open a brand new window on our understanding of the Universe.

Of course, the

recent finding from the BICEP2 team of evidence of primordial gravitational waves

is a landmark discovery that provides the first direct evidence the universe underwent a brief but incredibly accelerated expansion immediately following the Big Bang.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatories (LIGO) have been searching for these elusive waves. The original LIGO collected data between 2004 and 2010, but a newly upgraded version of the instrument is set to come online in 2015 and the Advanced LIGO will probe deeper into the universe in search of gravitational waves. It just might be the astronomical tool that will find them.

The new film is directed by

Kai Staats

, who said on Space.com, "As an aspiring filmmaker, it is my intent to focus on films which act as a conduit for science education and outreach. While the general populous understands 'cancer research' and frequently quotes the most recent findings on age or diet, most people do not really understand what science is about, nor even what 'science' means."

Space.com has a series of articles on gravitational waves and LIGO,

which you can read here.

Source

SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com