Left to Right: President Michael T. Benson, Professor Jason E. Ybarra, Dean Clayton Thyne, Susie Paine, and Professor Maura McLaughlin
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory premiered a new film Wednesday that takes viewers on an immersive journey inside the world of pulsar timing arrays, revealing the extraordinary global collaborations working to detect gravitational waves using pulsars as cosmic clocks.
The private premiere of "Cosmic Clocks" was held Sept. 16 at White Hall. Members of the university community and the film’s collaborators attended the event. President Michael T. Benson and Dean Clayton Thyne were among the invited guests in attendance.
The film was produced entirely in-house by WVU Planetarium and Observatory Director Jason E. Ybarra. It focuses on pulsar timing arrays, a method scientists use to make very precise measurements of pulsars.
Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars that send out regular pulses of radio waves. Since these pulses arrive at steady intervals, scientists can use pulsars as clocks in space. Scientists track the pulses over time and look for very small changes in when they reach Earth. These changes can help researchers detect low-frequency gravitational waves, which are ripples in spacetime caused by some of the universe’s most massive and energetic events.
“Most planetariums do not produce their own film content,” Ybarra said in a WVU announcement. “When I started as the director of the Planetarium, my vision was that we would produce our own films, like the handful of major planetariums around the country that do.”
"Cosmic Clocks" is based on research by the International Pulsar Timing Array, a global research collaboration that combines observations from pulsar timing projects around the world.
Maura McLaughlin, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a founding member of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, or NANOGrav, helped to bring Ybarra’s vision to life after learning about funding that could be used to produce a planetarium film about the International Pulsar Timing Array collaboration.
“That funding from the NSF allowed us to purchase a state-of-the-art 360-degree camera and also provided travel funds for filming,” Ybarra said. “That was the spark we needed.”
The film shows how researchers in different parts of the world work together to study gravitational waves. Their measurements may also help scientists learn more about how galaxies form and how our universe has changed over time.
“The discovery of the gravitational wave background has huge potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe,” Susie Paine, the assistant director and a narrator of the film, said. “I hope this film can teach a lot of people about our work.”
The film was an interdisciplinary project, connecting people with backgrounds in science, art, and film. Ybarra has a background in art and physics, including animation. Paine was an English minor as an undergraduate. Jordan O’Kelley, another narrator, has a professional background in film.
“Everyone working on this film drew upon their multiple talents, perspectives, and experiences,” said Ybarra.
Susie Paine (right), graduate student and assistant director of "Cosmic Clocks," speaks to the audience
The film’s subject is closely connected to research at WVU. Researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy study pulsars and gravitational waves through collaborations such as NANOGrav. The department’s research into the subject is supported by a $5.9 million National Science Foundation grant to continue studying gravitational waves and pulsars. Researchers use a network of pulsars and radio telescopes, including the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, to look for small changes in pulsar timing.
"Cosmic Clocks" brings this research into the planetarium, allowing audiences to see and experience the science through a fulldome presentation rather than simply reading about it.
“Tonight is the premiere, but not the last showing. 'Cosmic Clocks' will be distributed to planetariums around the world,” Ybarra said in his closing remarks at the premiere. “A film made here at WVU, by WVU faculty, staff, and students, will be shown under domes on several continents.”
The Sept. 16 event was a private premiere for the University community. A public premiere of "Cosmic Clocks" is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the WVU Planetarium and Observatory. The public showing is free, but reservations are required.
The production of "Cosmic Clocks" was funded by a supplement to NSF AccelNet Award #2114721. Special thanks to the partner institutions for their support: Green Bank Observatory; LIGO Hanford Observatory; Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research - NCRA; Observatoire Radioastronomique de Nançay; and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory.
WVU Planetarium and Observatory shows are always free to the public, and donations are greatly appreciated. The generosity of donors supports outreach events, observatory maintenance, and their goal of licensing a new show every year to bring the community current and exciting films. Donations can be made to the WVU Foundation for the Planetarium Project 2V363.