[3] Olson began his career studying the theory of relativity and creating computer simulations of astronomical phenomena such as the distribution of galaxies or radiation near black holes.
[8] Olson's team also attempted to recreate the timeline of Mary Shelley's inspiration to write Frankenstein, which the author claimed occurred during a moonlit night but which historians had traditionally dismissed.
[10] At the time of the sinking on April 15, 1912, the moon was simultaneously at perigee and in line with the Sun, producing a rare spring tide that may have pushed ice bergs into the path of the ship.
[12] He has also studied the astronomical conditions which inspired unusual paintings and photographs by artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Edvard Munch,[12] Claude Monet,[13] and Ansel Adams,[14] as well as exactly when they would have been created.
[15] Other research has studied descriptions of astronomical phenomena in literary works like The Canterbury Tales or Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.