50 years after 2001: A Space Odyssey is still the “Movie that changed all Movies”
Stan Kubrick, one of the greatest and most influential directors in the film industry, was reputed for his revealing, sensational movies which almost seem prophetic.
Starting as a high school photographer, it’s little known he made many movies until his blockbuster “2001: A Space Odyssey” hit box offices in the spring of 1968.
Based on a narrative of Sci-fi British author Sir Arthur C. Clarke, its ideas come from his 1948 novel “The Sentinel” and 1953 “Encounter in the Dawn”.
With a budget of $12 Million, it’s taken in over $190 Million so not only was it a financial success but it’s is commonly observed as one of the best scifi works of all time even to today.
It’s classified as “Hard sci-fi (a category of ‘sci-fi’ characterized by an emphasis on scientific accuracy)” for its accurate depiction of space flight, pioneering special effects, and ambiguous imagery while emphasizing sound/minimizing dialogue in place of traditional narrative techniques.
The soundtrack consists of classical music such as The Blue Danube and Also sprach Zarathustra. Noted for its scientific futurism, it’s foretelling when comparing at it even from today’s view.
Specifically, AI (artificially intelligence) seemed more fictional than scientific in 1968, but today that’s become more real than imaginary. I am going to write more about AI since it’s now part of our daily lives and it can be either good or bad depending who’s controlling it.
More significant is the coming release of advanced technology promised at President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20, 2017 inauguration. With the newly-created Space Force Department (https://www.afspc.af.mil/) of the military, much will resemble what’s in the movie.
If you haven’t seen it, catch the HD version at http://hdvix.com/movie/2001a-space-odyssey-1968-16444/. At 2.5 hours long, it’s lengthy but well worth it!
Sky watch for the next month:
1. Daylight’s Savings Time Ends- Sunday Nov. 4 at 2 a.m. you’ll get that hour of sleep.
2. Northern Taurids Meteor Shower Peaks- Sunday, Nov. 11 after dark forecast is seven meteors per hour and the moon will set at early evening for dark skies until the wee morning hours of the Nov. 12.
3. Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks- Wednesday, Nov. 17 after nightfall into the next morning as the moon sets around 3 a.m., so look towards the constellation of Leo. Originating from the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, it should produce meteors at the rate of 10-15 per hour.
4. Jupiter/Sunrise conjunction- Monday, Nov. 26 look SE before 9 a.m. with a good pair of solar filters and binos or scope.
Public Events for the next month:
Monthly Open House at Calgary’s Rothney Observatory near Priddis- Mark down Saturday, Nov. 17 from 20:00 to 23:00. There will be an array of scopes operated by University of Calgary astronomers and members of the RASC Calgary. You will have the opportunity to look through the telescopes, indoor presentation and astronomers will be on hand to answer questions.
Check out the vain and boastful queen of the northern sky Cassiopeia under a sliver of a moon.
The entrance fee is $30 per car. For further information, contact Jennifer Howse at jhowse@phas.ucalgary.ca, (403) 931-2366. Their website https://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/ is updated regularly.
Happy Cooler days and Meteor Watching!
Neel Roberts is a member of the Calgary chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada-the nation’s leading astronomy club founded in 1868 with over 5,000 members and 29 centers across Canada. Neel welcomes your questions and comments at (403) 560-6574, Neel_Roberts@ptccanada.com. The members meet once a month on weekends at Calgary’s Rothney Observatory near Priddis and you can check out times at https://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/calendar. Like them at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/272037680377/, Twitter https://twitter.com/CalgaryRASC & YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/RASCCalgary.