As a mathematician, I had been very intrigued by the movie Interstellar, so much so that I had read almost all of the analyses written about it while listening to its masterpiece of a soundtrack. Nolan had made a movie of the same quality as Batman, and it had taken its rightful place among the greatest science fiction movies ever. Some believe the movie was entirely fiction, while others hold that it overlapped with scientific facts in many spots. After thorough research, I have elected to write my thoughts on whether this movie is a piece of fictional entertainment or if it was rooted and built on science.
First, I would like to mention that you can read and understand this article even if you haven’t watched the movie, as I will focus on the physics concepts that occur in the movie rather than the story. However, I will be summarizing the movie, so I would like to give a spoiler warning in advance.
Interstellar is a movie clad with incredible music and stunning visual effects, matched with an immensely satisfying plot that flows brilliantly well. Firstly, the movie has a dystopian setting where a farming family struggles with rough days. The nation has been struck with drought and scarcity, and almost all natural resources have been depleted. Global warming has led to significant climate change, and this has caused frequent dust storms and other natural disasters to become commonplace.
Given the state of the world, the government has decided to find a place to call home away from Earth, and they have tasked NASA with this responsibility. For this immense duty, the administration has chosen as astronauts our hero, Cooper, the daughter of an astrophysicist, and a black astronaut for representation. These astronauts board the spaceship, launching themselves to a wormhole near Jupiter, which transports them to another universe, kicking off their journey.
NASA’s Lazarus Mission
Another important note is the naming used in the film. For example, the mission’s name is “Lazarus,”…
