How Could Interstellar Travel Be Possible Using Gravitational Waves?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The Short Answer: A gravitational wave is an invisible (yet incredibly fast) ripple in space . Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). These waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by.

How does gravity affect time interstellar?

One feature of Einstein’s equations is that time passes slower in higher gravity fields . So on a planet orbiting close to a black hole, a clock ticks much more slowly than on a spaceship orbiting farther away.

Why is gravity so important in interstellar?

But in The Science Of Interstellar, Kip Thorne interprets that Murph has figured out how to reduce Earth’s natural gravitational pull. If you can reduce Earth’s gravity, it makes it a lot easier for rocket propulsion to lift a colony big enough to support life into space .

Does interstellar space have gravity?

There is still gravity in space . Astronauts feel weightless when both they and their spacecraft are accelerated only by gravity. To the astronauts, it feels just like there is no gravity. Humans don’t even really feel the gravitational force since it pulls on all parts of our body.

How do gravitational waves work?

“Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime. When objects move, the curvature of spacetime changes and these changes move outwards (like ripples on a pond) as gravitational waves . A gravitational wave is a stretch and squash of space and so can be found by measuring the change in length between two objects.”

What can gravitational waves tell us?

Detecting and analyzing the information carried by gravitational waves is allowing us to observe the Universe in a way never before possible , providing astronomers and other scientists with their first glimpses of literally un-seeable wonders.

Is Interstellar possible?

It’s possible that, with enough power, we could even send a crew-carrying spacecraft to span the interstellar distances . Sure, we’d have to build a tremendous laser array: about 100 square kilometers’ worth of lasers, and we’d have to do it in space, but that’s a problem of cost, not science or technology.

Are the waves in Interstellar possible?

According to The Science of Interstellar by Kip Thorne, Miller’s planet is shaped a little like a football, with one end constantly pointing at Gargantua. The waves are literally tidal waves, so it’s not the waves coming toward you, it’s the planet rotating under you and the fixed waves slamming into you .

How did 23 years pass in Interstellar?

Murph was 10 years old when Cooper left. Cooper traveled for 2 years to the wormhole and subsequently lost 23 years in gravitational time dilation on Miller’s planet. When he returns to the Endurance he receives Murph’s message that she is now the same age as Cooper when he departed.

Is Interstellar time dilation possible?

Because of the black hole’s strong gravity, Miller’s planet experiences extreme time dilation : time moves significantly more slowly on the surface of the planet than on Earth (or even on the main spaceship, parked a safe distance away).

What happened to the world in Interstellar?

The Blight is a plague that has ravaged almost all the remaining food sources on Earth . By the time Interstellar occurs, the last crops of okra are dying off, leaving just corn as the only viable food source for humanity.

How did Murph save the world in Interstellar?

At the end of the movie Cooper arrives at “Cooper station”, a giant habitable space station with a cylindrical interior which was near Saturn at the time–many such stations were built, and apparently when Murph solved the gravity problem (by finding a theory of quantum gravity with the help of the data Cooper sent her ...

Why does the spacecraft spin in Interstellar?

The ship spins 5.6 times per minute to create Earth-style artificial gravity . If a habitable planet is found, Endurance could be disassembled and its component modules used to build a base on the planet surface.

Where does Interstellar take place?

Set in a dystopian future where humanity is struggling to survive , the film follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for mankind.

What is relativity in Interstellar?

Einstein’s theory of relativity says that space-time is like a flexible material and the objects in it, a planet for instance, can warp that material . This leads to gravity. The larger the object, the more space-time is warped, leading to greater gravity.

What has LIGO discovered?

Now, scientists from LIGO and Virgo have announced the discovery of an object of 2.6 solar masses , placing it firmly in the mass gap. The object was found on August 14, 2019, as it merged with a black hole of 23 solar masses, generating gravitational waves that were detected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors.

What creates gravitational waves?

Continuous gravitational waves are thought to be produced by a single spinning massive object like a neutron star . Any bumps on or imperfections in the spherical shape of this star will generate gravitational waves as it spins. If the spin-rate of the star stays constant, so too are the gravitational waves it emits.

How were gravitational waves found?

On 5 January 2020 gravitational waves from this entirely new type of astronomical system were observed by: Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detector in Louisiana in the US . Advanced Virgo detector in Italy .

What did Einstein say about gravitational waves?

In 1916, Albert Einstein suggested that gravitational waves could be a natural outcome of his general theory of relativity , which says that very massive objects distort the fabric of time and space—an effect we perceive as gravity.

What evidence supports the predicted existence of gravitational waves?

What evidence supports the predicted existence of gravitational waves? Gravitational waves have been detected by observing their effect on large masses suspended on the earth . The energy generated by gravitational waves from the Sun can be seen as it is absorbed by Jupiter.

What is the aim of the LIGO experiment?

It is the world’s largest gravitational wave observatory and a marvel of precision engineering. Comprising two enormous laser interferometers located 3000 kilometers apart, LIGO exploits the physical properties of light and of space itself to detect and understand the origins of gravitational waves (GW) .

Is interstellar possible Quora?

Originally Answered: Is the movie interstellar possible ? Possible, yes (in a very very muffled tone) . Probable, VERY highly not; not very likely.

Is interstellar travel impossible?

If you want to visit another star system in any reasonable amount of time, you need to go fast. To go fast, you need a lot of energy. And that’s what makes interstellar travel so dang hard .

Who created the wormhole in interstellar?

But there is one aspect of plunging into an interstellar express that the film doesn’t address: How do you survive the trip? Although they didn’t call it such, the original wormhole was the brainchild of Albert Einstein and his assistant Nathan Rosen .

How is 1 hour 7 years in Interstellar?

The first planet they land on is close to a supermassive black hole, dubbed Gargantuan, whose gravitational pull causes massive waves on the planet that toss their spacecraft about. Its proximity to the black hole also causes an extreme time dilation, where one hour on the distant planet equals 7 years on Earth.

How was the wave scene in Interstellar filmed?

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Rebecca Patel
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Rebecca Patel
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