‘Contact’ : Short Wave : NPR

Much of the movie ‘Contact’ was filmed at the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

Erin Slonaker/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

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Erin Slonaker/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

Much of the movie ‘Contact’ was filmed at the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

Erin Slonaker/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

Today we’re throwing back to one of our favorite Science Movie Club episodes: ‘Contact’ featuring Jodie Foster. It was a real crowd pleaser, especially among extraterrestrials and Carl Sagan fans, and features the work of beloved Short Wave alumni and sci-fi aficionados Maddie Sofia and Viet Le.

The 1997 film got a lot of things right … and a few things wrong. Radio astronomer Summer Ash, an education specialist with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, breaks down the science in the film.

Have ideas for our next installment of the Science Movie Club? Email the show at [email protected].

This episode was produced by Brit Hanson, edited by Viet Le and fact-checked by Emily Vaughn.