The Master of Light captures the life and scientific career of Albert A. Michelson (1852-1931), the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. His experiments made major contributions to our understanding of the fundamental properties of light. In 1877, at age 26, using an apparatus he built for little more than $10, Michelson gained an international reputation for his accurate measurement of the velocity of light.

The Master of Light takes the viewer through a period of scientific history when the spirit of invention and experimentation revealed new physical laws that no longer conformed to Newton’s classical notions of the universe. Michelson himself triggered a chain of advances in physics which helped to unravel and unify often opposing theories. His work laid the groundwork for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, as well as contemporary explorations of outer space and atomic energy.

The DVD includes interviews with Saul Perlmutter, Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, leading scientists and cosmologists who discuss the importance of Michelson’s experiments and what we’ve learned about the universe in the 100 years since he won the Nobel Prize. Also included is a DVD Toolkit with a sample of Michelson’s original field work done in 1897 and links to exhibits and information about his life and work.