A narrative exploration of research proving Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
This work helps explain how work done by UCLA’s Galactic Center Group is led by the Principal Investigator and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Dr. Andrea Ghez proves the general theory of relativity.
It provides an easy to understand explanation of the significance of a star named S0-2, of which astronomers have observed shifts in color of light during its 16-year orbit.
These shifts are the result of light being bent by the gravity of a supermassive black hole, the star orbits. This bending of light is also inconsistent with classical laws of physics and provides direct evidence in support of Einstein’s theory.
This experience provided an introduction to how the shifts in light were measured by observing its spectra. Users could compress and expand light and see how this affected its color.
A narrative based approach was used, introducing complex information in digestible bits. We used a scrolling, telling approach to build the narrative and its supporting visuals at the users own pace.
In-context definitions were provided for important concepts by providing a side-panel that could expanded to provide relevant details about each concept.
Observations were graphed and overlaid with expected trajectories for classical physics, general relativity, and modeled data. Users could interact with these points on the graph and see where they actually were along the stars orbit allowing them to better connect the data with a simulation of how the light shifts as it orbits the black hole.