‘Interstellar’ Should Be Shown In Schools, Scientists Say

Interstellar_Audience — Scientists have called for showing Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” in schools to help students better understand the theory of general relativity. Pictured, a general view of atmosphere is seen during the premiere of the movie at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on October 26, 2014, in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” should be shown in schools to help students understand the theory of general relativity, scientists wrote in the latest edition of a leading academic journal. They also said that the portrayal of wormholes in the movie was scientifically accurate.

The paper, “Visualising Interstellar’s Wormhole,” published in this month’s edition of the American Journal of Physics, stated that the 2014 blockbuster film not only featured the wormholes and black holes in the most realistic way, but also created their images, which can be used for relativity and astrophysics research.

"The physics has been very carefully reviewed by experts and found to be accurate," David Jackson, the editor of the journal, said, the Telegraph reported. "The publication will encourage physics teachers to show the film in their classes to get across ideas about general relativity."

The paper also stated that the pictures of wormholes, which hypothetically allow quick travel between galaxies and universes, were a good way of teaching students about Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the Independent reported.

“Although wormholes were central to the theme of 'Star Trek' and 'Stargate,' none of these have depicted correctly a wormhole as it would be seen by a nearby human. Interstellar is the first to do so," the scientists wrote in the paper.

Nolan, who worked with Kip Thorne, theoretical physicist from the California Institute of Technology and the movie's executive producer, expressed delight over the news. "Right from the beginning we all really believed it's time to inspire another generation to really look outwards and to look to the stars again,” he told BBC.

"We hoped that by dramatizing science and making it something that could be entertaining for kids we might inspire some of the astronauts of tomorrow - that would be the ultimate goal of the project,” he added.

"Interstellar," which starred Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, earned accolades from critics. It also won the Oscar and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award -- both for visual effects.