All Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked From Best To Worst - TimeOut
Christopher Nolan films ranked · 1. Inception · 2. The Dark Knight · 3. Oppenheimer · 4. Memento · 5. The Prestige · 6. Dunkirk · 7. Batman Begins · 8.
stunningly realised and scientifically significant
The most obviously science fiction-y of Nolan’s many sci-fi films, this sees a team head out among the stars in search of a new home for humanity as Earth dies behind them. But extinction is mere context to a family drama about intergenerational trauma, caused by the unfortunate time dilation of a ( <anchor>stunningly realised and scientifically significant</anchor>) black hole. Matthew McConaughey is the father trying to get back to his kids but separated by the impossible reach of time itself; Jessica Chastain the abandoned daughter who can save the world because of his love. This once again reckons with Nolan’s obsession with time, but in a way that takes in astrophysics, speculative science and a love letter from a father to his kids.
Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes - DNEG
Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes - DNEG

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# Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes

## DNEG publishes scientific papers on Spinning Black Holes

13/02/15

## Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes in Astrophysics, and in the Movie Interstellar

The _Double Negative Gravitational Renderer_ (DNGR) is the computer code used to create the iconic images of black holes and wormholes for the movie [Interstellar](https://dneg.wpengine.com/show/interstellar/).

It is the result of a year-long collaboration between Professor Kip Thorne and Double Negative Chief Scientist Oliver James, leading a small team of developers.

![](https://dneg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Gravitational-Lensing-300x1411-300x141.jpg)

DNGR uses general-relativity equations to trace beams of light as they are bent and warped by the immense gravity of a black hole. Beams can get temporarily trapped, circling the hole many times before reaching the camera. These beams’ cross sections get stretched and squashed during this process, amplifying the light in small regions, resulting in glittering patterns in the starlight; and thin accretion discs get warped into rainbows of fire that stretch over and under the black hole.

The unprecedented detail DNGR reveals has led to its use as a tool for astrophysics research, giving us new insights into gravitational lensing.

Below you will find images and movies discussed in our paper _‘Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes in Astrophysics, and in the Movie Interstellar’_ which is available for free download here:

[Gravitational Lensing by Spinning Black Holes in Astrophysics, and in the Movie Interstellar](http://iopscience.iop.org/0264-9381/32/6/065001/article)

Published by IoP in _Classical and Quantum Gravity_ James O, von Tunzelmann E, Franklin P and Thorne K S 2015 _Class. Quantum Grav._ **32** 065001

(Also of interest may be our technical paper _[‘Interstellar’s Wormhole’](https://dneg.wpengine.com/interstellar-wormhole/))_

**All these movies entail a black hole with spin 0.999 of maximum and a camera at radii 6.03 GM/c2 or 2.6 GM/c2, where M is the black hole’s mass, and G and c are Newton’s gravitational constant and the speed of light. The observer is moving in a circular geodesic orbit.**

_View of a starfield under the influence of gravitational lensing. The camera is at radius r=2.6 GM/c2_

_View of a starfield under the influence of gravitational lensing. The camera is at radius r=6.03 GM/c2_

_View of a starfield under the influence of gravitational lensing. The camera is at radius r=6.03 GM/c2. The primary_ _and secondary critical curves are overlaid in purple and the path of a star at polar angle 0.608 pi is overlaid in red._

_For a camera at radius rc = 6.03 GM/c2: Animation showing the mapping between points on the primary critical curve in the camera’s_ _sky and the primary_ _caustic curve on the celestial sphere._

_For a camera at radius rc = 6.03 GM/c2: Animation showing the mapping between points on the secondary critical curve in the camera’s sky and the secondary caustic curve on the celestial sphere._

_For a camera at radius rc = 2.6 GM/c2: Animation showing the mapping between points on the primary critical curve in the camera’s sky and the primary caustic curve on the celestial sphere._

_For a camera at radius rc = 2.6 GM/c2: Animation showing the mapping between points on the secondary critical curve in the camera’s sky and the secondary caustic curve on the celestial sphere._

_For a camera at radius rc = 2.6 GM/c2: Animation showing the mapping between points on the tertiary critical curve in the camera’s sky and the tertiary caustic curve on the celestial sphere._

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce\_SELRES\_start">﻿</span>

**DNGR development team: Oliver James, Sylvan Dieckmann, Simon Pabst, Damien Maupu, Paul-George Roberts, Shane Christopher**

**VFX Supervisor: Paul Franklin**

**CG Supervisor: Eugénie von Tunzelmann**

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