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賲蹖丕賳鈥屫池ж辟団€屫й� 亘賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 毓賱賲
賮蹖賱賲 賲蹖丕賳鈥屫池ж辟団€屫й� 讴賴 丿乇 爻丕賱 鄄郯郾鄞 亘丕 讴丕乇诏乇丿丕賳蹖 讴乇蹖爻鬲賵賮乇 賳賵賱丕賳 亘乇 倬乇丿賴 爻蹖賳賲丕賴丕蹖 噩賴丕賳 亘賴 賳賲丕蹖卮 丿乇丌賲丿貙 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 賲賴賲鈥屫臂屬� 賮蹖賱賲 賴丕蹖 毓賱賲蹖鈥屫屬勠� 爻丕賱鈥屬囏й� 丕禺蹖乇 亘賵丿. 丕蹖賳 賮蹖賱賲 讴賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺賵丿 乇丕 丿乇 亘爻鬲乇 毓賱賲 賵 亘乇 賱亘賴 賲乇夭賴丕蹖 丌诏丕賴蹖 賲丕 丕夭 噩賴丕賳 乇賵丕蹖鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 爻毓蹖 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿 鬲丕 丨丿 丕賲讴丕賳 亘賴 賲賮丕賴蹖賲 毓賱賲蹖 倬丕蹖亘賳丿 亘賲丕賳丿. 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 丿賱丕蹖賱 趩賳蹖賳 賵賮丕丿丕乇蹖 丨囟賵乇 賮毓丕賱 卮禺氐蹖鬲蹖 賲丕賳賳丿 讴蹖倬 鬲賵乇賳貙 賮蹖夭蹖讴丿丕賳 亘乇噩爻鬲賴 賲毓丕氐乇 丿乇 賮乇丌蹖賳丿 爻丕禺鬲 丕蹖賳 賮蹖賱賲 丕爻鬲. 丕蹖賳讴 讴蹖倬 鬲賵乇賳 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘蹖 讴賴 鬲乇噩賲賴 賮丕乇爻蹖 丌賳 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲貙 亘賴 鬲賵囟蹖丨 毓賲蹖賯 鬲乇 賲賮丕賴蹖賲 毓賱賲蹖 賮蹖賱賲 賲蹖丕賳鈥屫池ж辟団€屫й� 倬乇丿丕禺賴 丕爻鬲. 丕賵 亘賴 亘賴丕賳賴 丕蹖賳 賮蹖賱賲 丕賲讴丕賳丕鬲 賲丕 丿乇 噩賴丕賳 毓賱賲 乇丕 亘丕夭诏賵 賲蹖鈥屸€屭┵嗀� 賵 鬲賵囟蹖丨 賲蹖鈥屫囏� 丌賳趩賴 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賮蹖賱賲 丿蹖丿賴鈥屫й屬� 丿乇 噩賴丕賳 賵丕賯毓蹖鬲 趩賴 噩丕蹖诏丕賴蹖 丿丕乇丿.
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й� 鬲乇賵蹖噩 毓賱賲 爻丕賱 鄄郯郾鄞 亘賵丿貙 亘丕 賲賯丿賲賴 丕蹖 丕夭 讴乇蹖爻鬲賵賮乇 賳賵賱丕賳 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲 賵 鬲乇噩賲賴 賮丕乇爻蹖 丌賳 賳蹖夭 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屫й� 丕夭 丿讴鬲乇 乇囟丕 賲賳氐賵乇蹖貙 讴蹖賴丕賳 卮賳丕爻 賵 丕爻鬲丕丿 丿丕賳卮诏丕賴 氐賳毓鬲蹖 卮乇蹖賮 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲.
讴鬲丕亘 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 丕賳亘賵賴蹖 丕夭 鬲氐丕賵蹖乇 賵 卮讴賱 賴丕蹖 鬲賵囟蹖丨蹖 乇賳诏蹖 亘乇丕蹖 讴賲讴 亘賴 丿乇讴 亘賴鬲乇 賲賮丕賴蹖賲 毓賱賲蹖 鬲賵囟蹖丨 丿丕丿賴 卮丿賴 丿乇 賮蹖賱賲 賵 丕夭 爻賵蹖 賲賵爻爻賴 丌爻賲丕賳 卮亘 賵 丕賳鬲卮丕乇丕鬲 讴丕乇诏丕賴 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲.
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 亘賴鬲乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘鈥屬囏й� 鬲乇賵蹖噩 毓賱賲 爻丕賱 鄄郯郾鄞 亘賵丿貙 亘丕 賲賯丿賲賴 丕蹖 丕夭 讴乇蹖爻鬲賵賮乇 賳賵賱丕賳 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲 賵 鬲乇噩賲賴 賮丕乇爻蹖 丌賳 賳蹖夭 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 賲賯丿賲賴鈥屫й� 丕夭 丿讴鬲乇 乇囟丕 賲賳氐賵乇蹖貙 讴蹖賴丕賳 卮賳丕爻 賵 丕爻鬲丕丿 丿丕賳卮诏丕賴 氐賳毓鬲蹖 卮乇蹖賮 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲.
讴鬲丕亘 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 丕賳亘賵賴蹖 丕夭 鬲氐丕賵蹖乇 賵 卮讴賱 賴丕蹖 鬲賵囟蹖丨蹖 乇賳诏蹖 亘乇丕蹖 讴賲讴 亘賴 丿乇讴 亘賴鬲乇 賲賮丕賴蹖賲 毓賱賲蹖 鬲賵囟蹖丨 丿丕丿賴 卮丿賴 丿乇 賮蹖賱賲 賵 丕夭 爻賵蹖 賲賵爻爻賴 丌爻賲丕賳 卮亘 賵 丕賳鬲卮丕乇丕鬲 讴丕乇诏丕賴 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲.
435 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2015
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About the author
Kip S. Thorne
31听books644听followersKip Stephen Thorne is an American theoretical physicist and writer known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. Along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish, he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.
A longtime friend and colleague of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, he was the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) until 2009 and speaks of the astrophysical implications of the general theory of relativity. He continues to do scientific research and scientific consulting, most notably for the Christopher Nolan film Interstellar.
A longtime friend and colleague of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, he was the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) until 2009 and speaks of the astrophysical implications of the general theory of relativity. He continues to do scientific research and scientific consulting, most notably for the Christopher Nolan film Interstellar.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 674 reviews
January 6, 2016
Astonishing reading!
HOW CAN BE REAL THE SCIENCE ON INTERSTELLAR?
If you watched the film (that definitely I recommend to do before of reading this research book), you may wonder how they can explain some key details that it seemed to be kinda farfetched on the movie.
Since it does not matter how absurd it may be seemed some of the phenomena or technologies presented in the film, just think how the things were just 200 years ago...
...there were no telephones, televisions, cinema (where the three have also evolved since its conception), neither were airplanes, automobiles, space shuttles, computers, internet, x-rays, for not to say any control over electricity, which allowed all this possible; could certainly be absurd and impossible to believe for anyone who had been alive 200 years ago.
So, who can tell what kind of technology will be in 200 years in the future, that today it may seem absurd and impossible to believe for us?
HARDCORE SCIENCE
Don't be mistaken, while the commercial appeal of the book is to be a tie-in product to the film "Interstellar", this is without a doubt a real book about hardcore space science that it can be used as reference to any real study.
In this book, it's explained as accessible as possible for the general audience (but still is really deep to digest), astronomical aspects, spatial phenomena and advanced technology that arise during the film's plot of "Interstellar".
Explaining which ones were based on proven true scientific facts, which ones on educated guesses and which ones on speculation. But always, without leaving anything to chance or without, at least, an accepted theory by the scientific community as possible.
WHO IS KIP THORNE?
Kip Thorne is a graduate scientist at Caltech and later professor there too, specializing in the field of theoretical physics and gravitational physics and astrophysics.
He has also conducted research on topics such as Black Holes, Wormholes, Gravitational Waves and Theories about Time Travel.
Honored with many awards throughout his long career, also his work has been published in various scientific magazines.
Counting among his personal friends, there are colleagues such as Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, and even his mentor was John Wheeler (who was the one who "baptized" the Black Holes with that name).
He also participated as scientific consultant previously in the adaptation of the film "Contact" whose original novel was written by Carl Sagan.
And finally Kip Throne was the scientific consultant behind the film "Interstellar", contributing with his knowledge to support all the scientific elements presented in this film.
HOW CAN BE REAL THE SCIENCE ON INTERSTELLAR?
If you watched the film (that definitely I recommend to do before of reading this research book), you may wonder how they can explain some key details that it seemed to be kinda farfetched on the movie.
Since it does not matter how absurd it may be seemed some of the phenomena or technologies presented in the film, just think how the things were just 200 years ago...
...there were no telephones, televisions, cinema (where the three have also evolved since its conception), neither were airplanes, automobiles, space shuttles, computers, internet, x-rays, for not to say any control over electricity, which allowed all this possible; could certainly be absurd and impossible to believe for anyone who had been alive 200 years ago.
So, who can tell what kind of technology will be in 200 years in the future, that today it may seem absurd and impossible to believe for us?
HARDCORE SCIENCE
Don't be mistaken, while the commercial appeal of the book is to be a tie-in product to the film "Interstellar", this is without a doubt a real book about hardcore space science that it can be used as reference to any real study.
In this book, it's explained as accessible as possible for the general audience (but still is really deep to digest), astronomical aspects, spatial phenomena and advanced technology that arise during the film's plot of "Interstellar".
Explaining which ones were based on proven true scientific facts, which ones on educated guesses and which ones on speculation. But always, without leaving anything to chance or without, at least, an accepted theory by the scientific community as possible.
WHO IS KIP THORNE?
Kip Thorne is a graduate scientist at Caltech and later professor there too, specializing in the field of theoretical physics and gravitational physics and astrophysics.
He has also conducted research on topics such as Black Holes, Wormholes, Gravitational Waves and Theories about Time Travel.
Honored with many awards throughout his long career, also his work has been published in various scientific magazines.
Counting among his personal friends, there are colleagues such as Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, and even his mentor was John Wheeler (who was the one who "baptized" the Black Holes with that name).
He also participated as scientific consultant previously in the adaptation of the film "Contact" whose original novel was written by Carl Sagan.
And finally Kip Throne was the scientific consultant behind the film "Interstellar", contributing with his knowledge to support all the scientific elements presented in this film.
November 21, 2014
DO NOT GO HUMBLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT
The book discusses the movie, so it is only fair that I use most of the space to discuss the movie as well. I will discuss the book itself in one of the sections below. To get a better understanding, we can break our discussion it up into three overlapping sections --
The Three aspects of the movie that has to be examined to get at its core Premise:
1. The Future
2. The Science
3. The Dreams
Book Rating: 4/5 (欧宝娱乐); Movie Rating: 9/10 (IMDB)
Caution: Spoilers Ahead; Spoilers Abound
鈥淭he overriding question, 鈥榃hat might we build tomorrow?鈥�
blinds us to questions of our ongoing responsibilities
for what we built yesterday.鈥�
~ Paul Dourish
THE FUTURE
Scenario
Interstellar is about mankind鈥檚 future and about the options we face. It challenges us to think about how we should react to that future.
It starts from the premise that the Earth has been wrecked.
We have become a largely agrarian society, struggling to feed and shelter ourselves. But ours is not a dystopia. Life is still tolerable and in some ways pleasant, with little amenities such as baseball continuing. However, we no longer think big. We no longer aspire to great things. We aspire to little more than just keeping life going.
Humans have coped with their sudden tragedy by shutting down technology, engineering, research and all the marvels of science. This was the only option left to them.
But why this extreme reaction by a species that was not frightened even by Frankenstein鈥檚 monster? Presumably science/progress had something to do with unleashing the blight? My guess would be too much monoculture.
Most of them seem to think that the catastrophes are finished, that we humans are securing ourselves in this new world and things may start improving. But in reality the blight is so lethal, and leaps so quickly from crop to crop (there is also a bit of unscientific nonsense about Nitrogen versus Oxygen, but let us not be too critical), that the human race is doomed within the lifetime of Cooper鈥檚 grandchildren. The only hope is to start dreaming again. To get back on the Science Bandwagon.
And (thankfully?) there are dreamers, who refuse to give up to this sub-par, non-imaginative existence.
We are explorers, we are adventurers. Humanity is not meant to give up like this, Nolan tells us. And uses Dylan to drive the point home (too many times!).
The prevailing attitude of stopping progress and just focussing on 鈥榮urviving鈥� is seen to be a regressive step by our intrepid explorers.
Instead our heroes decide to risk it all on a cross-galaxy exploration. To find a new home for humanity, out among the stars.
In the process Nolan also attempts to reverse the message of Kubrick鈥檚 Space Odyssey and portray technology as a friend to humanity (TARS), instead of an unknown and volatile threat (as embodied by HAL).
Commentary
This is an eminently plausible future. It is also an eminent plausible reaction to such a future. In face it is very close to what 听听imagines in her own Near-future scenario: . A dictatorial regime, community-based (communist, in fact), strictly controlled, paranoid. We have seen these things before in history, during the dark ages. It is one of our worst nightmares.
A totalitarian govt is pretty much what would be in store in such a future. Freedom comes with trade-offs 鈥� the more we can indulge now, the more we restrict humanity later.
The only problem is that by the time we have had time to degrade so much, to feel the hopelessness, to tighten control over a society so much with so less technology, it would probably be too late to be even thinking of interstellar travel.
And that is where the Future that is shown to us breaks down. It shows us an agrarian world that is still capable of inter-planetary travel. That would require a very fast breakdown of things. Fast enough to not let the technology or the knowledge wither away. One bad generation would enough to lose the skills that were required for the Exodus. The plot had to assume an almost impossible fast degeneration and a lot of coincidental happenings in that very small window allowed even in such a world. That is not very realistic.
Lucky we had a miracle to bail us out.
An illustrative chart of Fictional Futures:
See high-res Here:听
THE SCIENCE
Soft Science
This is where science comes in. Under what scientific capacity we have, and with what technology we can reasonably expect in the near future, we cannot really travel inter-galactic distances in a time span that is remotely realistic, at least for current generations. Nor do we have the cryopreservation methods to take any live humans across such time spans.
And if we were capable of sacrificing our present for the future generations...? Well. Umm. We wouldn鈥檛 be in a fix in the first place, would we?
The nearest star (other than our Sun) thought to have a habitable planet is Tau Ceti, 11.9 light-years from Earth, so traveling at light speed you would need 11.9 years to reach it. If there are any habitable planets closer than that, they can鈥檛 be much closer.
Voyager 1 is traveling out of the solar system at 17 kilometers per second, having been boosted by gravitational slingshots around Jupiter and Saturn. In Interstellar, the Endurance travels from Earth to Saturn in two years, at an average speed of about 20 kilometers per second.
Even if we imagine an extreme 300 kilometers per second, we would need 5000 years to reach Proxima Centauri (nearest star to earth) and 13,000 years to reach Tau Ceti. Not a pleasant prospect!
Using twenty-first-century technology, we are stuck with thousands of years to reach other solar systems. The only hope (an exceedingly faint hope) for faster interstellar travel, in the event of an earthly disaster, is a wormhole like that in Interstellar, or some other extreme form of spacetime warp.
So a major inter-galactic, centuries-spanning exploration is out of the question.
What then?
Luckily we have the Gods helping us (well, 5 dimensional beings - 鈥渢hem鈥� for short) out.
They make our job a lot easier with a strategically placed wormhole - not too near to rip earth apart, but not so far that we don鈥檛 notice it, or will have to spend too much time reaching it. And it takes us to a place with multiple earth-like planets. And we go there on LAZARUS missions (Get it? Christ will walk amongst us at The End of Days 鈥� as Technology!). Resurrection itself, no less, is on display here!
Talk about miracles.
鈥淎nd whoever They are, They appear to be looking out for us. That wormhole lets us travel to other stars. It came along right as we needed it.鈥�
Well, what do you know, we are a lucky species.
Hard Science
I have heard a lot of people criticizing the science behind the movie. To me that is the most acceptable part in the movie. The science mostly makes good sense, except for a few artistic liberties here and there. Also the story was written first and the science was made-to-order. But despite that, it hangs together well.
The movie is exclusively based on a String Theory interpretation of the universe. Most of it won鈥檛 make sense unless you accept all the premises required under String Theory.
So we live in a 鈥淏rane鈥� inside a 鈥淏ulk鈥�. Our universe is the Brane and the Bulk Beings live in higher dimension, in the Bulk. The movie simplifies matters a bit by assuming the Bulk to be in only 1 dimension more than ours, while String Theorists tend to assume 5-6 extra dimensions in the Bulk. Also they are supposed to be curled-up microscopic dimensions, certainly not big enough for Cooper to be floating around in. Nolan didn鈥檛 want to confuse a mass audience. Let us accept that as fair.
All this is beautifully explained in the book and reading it will make you respect the rigor and faithfulness to scientific principles that is on view in the movie. Everything (including all those stunning visuals) is modeled based on equations and backed by scientific possibility (speculation at best). The movie allows us to visualize what a wormhole, black-hole, accretion disks, tesseract, world-tubes, etc. would look like IF they were real. And they allow us to do so with scientific rigor. Nolan brings String Theory to spectacular life. So this movie sets a pretty high standard as far as fidelity to science is concerned. Let us give full points for that.
I am wiling to defend most of the science on display in the movie. Please feel free to fire away in the comment section.
They even use realistic equations in the movie. Gotta give points for that too.
Even when the equation is attempting to 鈥渟olve gravity鈥�. *chuckles*
In short, it is easy to be skeptical of the science, but this companion book does a good job of shooting down most objections you might have and proves how well-founded most o the exotic stuff in the movie is. The really exotic things turn out to be closer to home, in the Future that is depicted and in the Dreams we are being asked to nurture! I started this book being very critical of the movie, looking for weapons to bludgeon it with, but the constant doses of science has softened me up. Reading this book will probably make you respect the movie much more too. Highly recommended.
Artistic Licences
That said, Nolan does take many liberties with science in the movie, but mostly they are for visual effect.
As Kip says, If Chris had followed the dictates of Einstein鈥檚 laws, it would have spoiled his movie. So Chris consciously invoked artistic license at some points. Although I鈥檓 a scientist and aspire to science accuracy in science fiction, I can鈥檛 blame Chris at all. I would have done the same, had I been making the decision. And you鈥檇 have thanked me for it.
Truth, Educated Guesses, and Speculations
The science of Interstellar lies in all four domains: Newtonian, relativistic, quantum, and quantum gravity. Correspondingly, some of the science is known to be true, some is an educated guess, and some is speculation.
That is why throughout this book, when discussing the science of Interstellar, Kip has to explain the status of that science鈥攖ruth, educated guess, or speculation鈥攁nd he label it so at the beginning of a chapter or section with a symbol:
TO SUM UP
The thing is that a wormhole cant work (they are just not stable enough to be traversable, even if they actually exist 鈥� admitted freely in the book, in fact Kip goes so far as to almost admit that Wormholes are the most impossible outrageous idea in the book, and he was also the one responsible for introducing a wormhole into Contact and thus into mass consciousness!), time can鈥檛 be fixed, and if you have enough energy/tech to make a new planet habitable, you will definitely have enough to make earth re-habitable!
So we will never actually face a choice 鈥� either we will be capable of saving the earth AND colonizing a new planet. Or we will be incapable of both. And if the earth is in a bad enough condition it is unlikely that a true centuries-spanning mission is going to get funding anyway. And if we can fix the planet, how can we choose to leave all the other species behind? (Diversity being so important, as mentioned in the movie 鈥� and true genetic diversity should also include species diversity.)
The Science in the Movie DOES NOT matter. Because it is not a question of what is possible, but of what we want to believe in.
Cooper = Christ
This movie is about Miracles & Dreams, not of Science. And, to drive it home, religious hints litter the movie, as pointed out with the Lazarus missions above.
We thus have Cooper in a double role, as a Christ figure who brings God鈥檚 message to a Prophet, and also as an Apostle-Prime, who alone has experienced divinity, who is convinced that the miracles are being performed by The Children of Men. That men will become Gods one day, capable of miracles. Get it? The Bulk-beings, the 5-Dimensional Gods are nothing but the Children of Men, conceived immaculately through a Technology-Mary)
鈥淣ot yet,鈥� Cooper says, 鈥渂ut one day. Not you and me but people, people who鈥檝e evolved beyond the four dimensions we know.鈥�
Traditionally, when you fall into a black hole, you should get pulled apart, instead the movie itself gets pulled apart by its seams. It was a plot necessity. Of course, our new understanding of singularities allow a slim chance of survival, but certainly not for the Nolan-esque climax. It鈥檚 a brave plunge, either way.
THE DREAMS
The real message of the movie might very well be to show how difficult it would be to find an inhabitable planet and get to it, even with plenty of miraculous deus ex machinas thrown in. And we still need to have an infinite source of energy 鈥� gravity itself 鈥� to have any shot at a humane solution (of transporting everyone instead of having to deal with the rough job of choosing WHO gets to go!)
In the move, it all ends in an optimistic note in COOPER STATION, but what of the Earth? Kip admits in the book that to 鈥渉arness gravity鈥� to get off the earth would probably require a complete destruction of the planet (through extreme compression).
If they had access to enormous energy, through 鈥渟olving gravity鈥�, then surely they could have fixed Earth instead? Given the choice between a beautiful Earth and an artificially recreated station (limited by man鈥檚 imagination, even if by the imagination of the most brilliant among us), where would you choose to live? What would you choose for your child? Even today, would you rather stay in a magnificently designed IT park imitation or actually go and visit the original? And what of the history, architecture and ecology we have to leave behind? I know what choice I will make. I might make a visit, but I would want come back to earth.
A Cut-And-Run Theme
As an article puts it:
At first glance, Interstellar does seem to have a green message, warning that climate change could make the world uninhabitable for humans (and, presumably, other species). Yet there's an odd twist. The tag line for the film is, "The end of the Earth will not be the end of us." And the lead scientist, played by Michael Caine (no longer Alfred the Butler), says at one point: "We are not meant to save the world. We are meant to leave it." In other words, if humans do trash the planet, don't worry, some super-smart folks will help us make a nice get-away somewhere else in this swell and expanding universe. Given that Grinspoon researches life and planetary development, I wondered what he thought of this cut-and-run theme.
Once we cut out all the fantasy elements, Interstellar has this dire projection for us:
1. We are ruining the planet
2. We need to look for options to save ourselves.
Now, I have no objection to Humans leaving the Planet. Best case might even be that Humans leave the Planet to save the Planet.
3. But, whatever solutions we want to imagine/implement, we need to do it before it is too late.
By the time it is too late for the planet, it is bound to be too late for our technology too.
Cut-And-Run is not a feasible option. Deus Ex Machina happens only in movies.
As I have repeated many times by now The Science of Interstellar is the least questionable aspect of the movie. Its core premise (the Future & The Dreams) is what is really questionable.
Interstellar operates from a premise that it is never too late as long we keep the flame of exploration and technology alive. It ignores the ethical dilemmas of leaving a planet and most of its inhabitants (including humans) to die. It also ignores the more present question of how to avert a cut-and-run scenario from ever manifesting itself. That is the real question in front of humanity today. By skipping ahead and showing us an imaginary solution to present day problems, Nolan is indulging in a sort of escapism.
Let us just deal with it:
The right dream to have might just be of saving the planet and thus ourselves, and not of leaving it.
The movie was good entertainment and the book does a wonderful job of backing it up scientifically. But having the right dream is important too, to direct Science, which is merely a tool.
Humanity was not meant to die on Earth.
Earth was not meant to die of Humanity either.
VERDICT: THE SCIENCE IS SOLID. THE FUTURE IS SHAKY. AND THE DREAM IS JUST PLAIN STUPID.
took us on a similar journey in , but he asked us uncomfortable questions: Where are we headed? Are we ready to rely on Technology? What hidden dangers lurk in the Highway of Progress?
Nolan instead chooses to allay most of those uncomfortable questions and leaves us with a too simple an answer: Trust in technology, keep the spirit alive and everything will be fine.
I am not sure that is the right message for our times. It needs to be examined, and hence the review. I have done a shoddy job of it, but it is something.
All this is not to indulge in technology-bashing. Our scientific knowledge and our capacity for improvement are still our best bets to continuing survival. But 鈥淪olutionism鈥� is not the answer.
This is how 鈥淪olutionism鈥� is defined:
鈥溾€楽olutionism鈥� interprets issues as puzzles to which there is a solution, rather than problems to which there may be a response.鈥�
~ Gilles Paquet
We should be optimistic, but only cautiously so. We should not ride headlong into a future we don鈥檛 want, expecting a miracle at the end of the lane to bail us out. We should respect science and trust in it, and expect it to not only be a miracle, but also a path-finder. Science should show us the way, it should show us the means to avoid the unwanted future. It should be a companion, not a god-of-last-resort, to which we turn only once we have ruined ourselves by ignoring it.
Let us use science to chart the best course. Let us respect what our scientists tell us instead of allowing our politicians and our run-away consumerist economy to take us to a cliff from which even Science cannot be expected to work a Miracle.
Even though the movie was supposed to be a powerful message about Man鈥檚 power, in the end it turns out to be about man鈥檚 desperate need for miracles, for easy answers. That is its failure.
May 15, 2020
***5 stars***
To put it simply: this book was B R I L L I A N T.
If you've seen the movie Interstellar (and preferably liked it, too), then this book is for you.
Personally, I am a huge sci-fi fan and a space opera enthusiast. I live for stories about our great unknown universe, far away stars and planets and everything "astro-physicsy". Especially if they hold some truth and real, actual science in them.
When the movie Interstellar came out, I was intrigued with the science of it. Fast forward several years and I find out that most of it is actually accurate?! MIND. BLOWN.
Kip Thorne's answers just about every question one could possibly have after seeing Christopher Nolan's incredible movie. From the simple law of gravity, to some insanely complex ideas of space time warping and singularities, as well as gravitational anomalies, Kip takes his incredible knowledge of the universes and translates it into language that we can all understand.
Throughout the book, Thorne states which facts are true, speculated or which ones are an educated guess. The discussions on the anatomy of black holes, wormholes, the bulk and the 5th dimension are all wonderful, concise and very understandable. I also loved the fact that the book does not get into the math behind some of the concepts and yet Professor Throne does tell you where to find it if you're interested. The book also has tons of incredible illustrations that help you understand everything even better.
If you saw the movie and walked away with questions, this is the road to enlightenment.
Shelved as 'not-to-read'
August 11, 2015We were lured by the advance hype into watching this extremely disappointing movie. Don't be fooled like we were: this is no 2001.
Yes, they have maybe got all the science right, but that's not the most important thing in what's supposed to be a piece of entertainment. The story is stiff, awkward and sometimes just plain embarrassing. The characters are uninteresting. Oh, how we missed HAL! The visuals are okay, but nothing special compared to Kubrick's astonishing cinematography. Above all, they've completely forgotten the principle of show, don't tell. There were sequences where people would go on telling you things for minutes at a time; it was worse than George Bernard Shaw. The movie is interminably long. And I will never again be able to listen to Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle..." without cringing.
I honestly do not understand how this turkey can currently be running a 9.0 rating on IMDB.
Yes, they have maybe got all the science right, but that's not the most important thing in what's supposed to be a piece of entertainment. The story is stiff, awkward and sometimes just plain embarrassing. The characters are uninteresting. Oh, how we missed HAL! The visuals are okay, but nothing special compared to Kubrick's astonishing cinematography. Above all, they've completely forgotten the principle of show, don't tell. There were sequences where people would go on telling you things for minutes at a time; it was worse than George Bernard Shaw. The movie is interminably long. And I will never again be able to listen to Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle..." without cringing.
I honestly do not understand how this turkey can currently be running a 9.0 rating on IMDB.
March 2, 2025
Aside from the wonderful introduction--which covers the genesis of the movie--I did not particularly like The Science of Interstellar.听 But, this is likely due to my faulty assumptions rather than the book.听 Given Kip Thorne's reputation as a premier theoretical physicist, I expected this work to deal principally with cutting edge topics such as extra dimensions and wormholes.听 Such issues are covered to varying extents.听 However, the work spends significantly more time on far more established matters like why various scenes in the movie were visualized in that specific manner.听 While this material did not interest me, it certainly was true to the author's promise to explain the science involved in the brilliant film.听
December 31, 2014
While it takes a book like this to remind us how cutting-edge and accurate Christopher Nolan鈥檚 Interstellar really was, author Kip S. Thorne (predictably) ignores what is perhaps the biggest idea of the movie.
This idea has also proved the most polarising, with a range of critics and viewers labelling Nolan as sentimental, goofy and on a New Age trip as a result. I am, of course, referring to Dr Amelia Brand鈥檚 Big Speech near the end (played with deadpan earnestness by Anne Hathaway):
Love isn鈥檛 something we invented. It鈥檚 observable, powerful, it has to mean something... Love is the one thing we鈥檙e capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.
Many critics have commented that the strong father-daughter relationship that drives the emotional engine of Interstellar is a vestige of the script/story when Steven Spielberg was still on board to direct it, as far back as 2006.
The only time that Thorne refers to the human elements of the movie is when he talks about Mann鈥檚 planet and the explosion of Endurance, adding (apologetically) that Dr Mann鈥檚 murderous actions lie outside the remit of science (instead of a mad robot as in 2001, Nolan presents us with a ... mad scientist. Gee, how original.) Thorne then launches into a detailed, gleeful account of the Endurance explosion and how accurate it is, as enamoured as a Boy Scout with a ball of string.
Of course, the first time that Hollywood tried to depict a black hole was Disney鈥檚 1979 movie, prosaically entitled The Black Hole. Thorne gives a compact account of how much our knowledge has changed in the interim.
The first time that the concept of a wormhole entered Hollywood as an SF staple of time/space travel was Robert Zemeckis鈥檚 Contact (1997), starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey (John Lithgow in Interstellar was also in 2010), based on the book by Carl Sagan (Thorne worked with both Sagan and Zemeckis on the science).
Flash-forward to 2014 and Nolan鈥檚 answer to Stanley Kubrick: a rigorously scientific and accurate SF movie, based upon (and extrapolated from) the latest research and data. Everything from Dr Brand鈥檚 equations on the blackboard to what Cooper sees within Gargantua, from the crop blight which decimates the earth at the beginning to the space colonies at the end, is either plausible or completely accurate.
Apart from Thorne himself, a crop of eminent scientists, theoreticians and academics were called upon for their two cents鈥� worth (though the final decision always lay with Nolan, Thorne points out constantly, especially when he has a quibble or two with the director鈥檚 artistic licence).
Needless to say, you should only read this book after you have seen the movie. If you attempt to read this first, I think you will have no desire whatsoever to see the movie, because it sounds like a graduate-level quantum physics lecture.
If you have seen the movie and then read a book like this, you will be amazed (as I was) at the amount of science you would have absorbed. And quite painlessly, all with state-of-the-art CGI and a truly thunderous Hans Zimmer score to boot.
My only quibble is that Thorne is a much better teacher than he is a writer 鈥� there are some wince-inducing instances here that could have used an editor鈥檚 cudgel. Apart from that, Thorne鈥檚 enthusiasm for his subject matter shines through every page, making this a truly memorable companion piece to a great movie.
Is it the greatest SF movie ever made? I would have to say it is probably the best American SF movie ever made, as the idea that the whole concept of space travel is simply to replicate the American Dream among the stars is singularly depressing.
There is no inkling here that base-line humanity will have to change; that evolution and transformation go hand in hand. One only has to look to great SF writers like Paul McAuley and Stephen Baxter to read what lies in store for us; hopefully Hollywood catches up soon.
This idea has also proved the most polarising, with a range of critics and viewers labelling Nolan as sentimental, goofy and on a New Age trip as a result. I am, of course, referring to Dr Amelia Brand鈥檚 Big Speech near the end (played with deadpan earnestness by Anne Hathaway):
Love isn鈥檛 something we invented. It鈥檚 observable, powerful, it has to mean something... Love is the one thing we鈥檙e capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.
Many critics have commented that the strong father-daughter relationship that drives the emotional engine of Interstellar is a vestige of the script/story when Steven Spielberg was still on board to direct it, as far back as 2006.
The only time that Thorne refers to the human elements of the movie is when he talks about Mann鈥檚 planet and the explosion of Endurance, adding (apologetically) that Dr Mann鈥檚 murderous actions lie outside the remit of science (instead of a mad robot as in 2001, Nolan presents us with a ... mad scientist. Gee, how original.) Thorne then launches into a detailed, gleeful account of the Endurance explosion and how accurate it is, as enamoured as a Boy Scout with a ball of string.
Of course, the first time that Hollywood tried to depict a black hole was Disney鈥檚 1979 movie, prosaically entitled The Black Hole. Thorne gives a compact account of how much our knowledge has changed in the interim.
The first time that the concept of a wormhole entered Hollywood as an SF staple of time/space travel was Robert Zemeckis鈥檚 Contact (1997), starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey (John Lithgow in Interstellar was also in 2010), based on the book by Carl Sagan (Thorne worked with both Sagan and Zemeckis on the science).
Flash-forward to 2014 and Nolan鈥檚 answer to Stanley Kubrick: a rigorously scientific and accurate SF movie, based upon (and extrapolated from) the latest research and data. Everything from Dr Brand鈥檚 equations on the blackboard to what Cooper sees within Gargantua, from the crop blight which decimates the earth at the beginning to the space colonies at the end, is either plausible or completely accurate.
Apart from Thorne himself, a crop of eminent scientists, theoreticians and academics were called upon for their two cents鈥� worth (though the final decision always lay with Nolan, Thorne points out constantly, especially when he has a quibble or two with the director鈥檚 artistic licence).
Needless to say, you should only read this book after you have seen the movie. If you attempt to read this first, I think you will have no desire whatsoever to see the movie, because it sounds like a graduate-level quantum physics lecture.
If you have seen the movie and then read a book like this, you will be amazed (as I was) at the amount of science you would have absorbed. And quite painlessly, all with state-of-the-art CGI and a truly thunderous Hans Zimmer score to boot.
My only quibble is that Thorne is a much better teacher than he is a writer 鈥� there are some wince-inducing instances here that could have used an editor鈥檚 cudgel. Apart from that, Thorne鈥檚 enthusiasm for his subject matter shines through every page, making this a truly memorable companion piece to a great movie.
Is it the greatest SF movie ever made? I would have to say it is probably the best American SF movie ever made, as the idea that the whole concept of space travel is simply to replicate the American Dream among the stars is singularly depressing.
There is no inkling here that base-line humanity will have to change; that evolution and transformation go hand in hand. One only has to look to great SF writers like Paul McAuley and Stephen Baxter to read what lies in store for us; hopefully Hollywood catches up soon.
July 23, 2015
Before the review: I know that there were plenty of aspects in the movie inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey. I know it, but I still cannot stand the "2001" movie. Watched it four times, each time was worse than the prior. There had never been another movie in my life which I found as boring as "2001" and the Soundtrack still makes me cringe. However, I loved Interstellar. Just saying.
The scientific insights into the movie are splendid. Not only are they accessibly written so that even a person who has never dealt with astrophysics or physics in general can understand what is happening in the movie and why, but there is also a great deal of humour and some insights into how exactly the movie came into being, which was rather interesting as well.
Okay, I admit, it might take a bit to understand certain chapters, and I had to re-read one or two twice or even thrice in order to follow and connect the ideas, but it's worth it. Without any doubts.
The most exciting chapters for me were on Black Holes (haha, yeah, it takes up the biggest part of the book), their Singularities, since the last time I read about more than one Singularitie was a while ago and in a rather badly written book on physics, and Wormholes. Regardless of how unrealistic the idea of artificially produced Wormholes may be, I still love it.
The idea of multiple Singularities is one I personally find mind-blowing. Totally incredible, and it was a delight to read how they were successfully used for the movie.
Then, there are several chapters which concern themselves with the Dimensions and their probability (say nine dimensions, or five like in the movie), another brilliant topic, as well as Gravitation anomalies and the specifics of the planets of Gargantua's system. From the perspective of a normal human being I have to admit that a planet's orbit around a fast-spinning black hole blew my mind. It demanded a lot of creativity from my side to even imagine that.
Since I watched the movie for its scientific accuracy and my love for astrophysics this book was in a way even better than the movie, hardcore science explained by Kip Thorne and put into a movie by the brilliant Nolan, what more do I need? Correct, nothing.
I loved it from page one and until the last one. Highly recommended if you loved the movie and want to understand the topics behind it and if you are into science/astrophysics. For the rest - think twice before reading because it really is very complex.
The scientific insights into the movie are splendid. Not only are they accessibly written so that even a person who has never dealt with astrophysics or physics in general can understand what is happening in the movie and why, but there is also a great deal of humour and some insights into how exactly the movie came into being, which was rather interesting as well.
Okay, I admit, it might take a bit to understand certain chapters, and I had to re-read one or two twice or even thrice in order to follow and connect the ideas, but it's worth it. Without any doubts.
The most exciting chapters for me were on Black Holes (haha, yeah, it takes up the biggest part of the book), their Singularities, since the last time I read about more than one Singularitie was a while ago and in a rather badly written book on physics, and Wormholes. Regardless of how unrealistic the idea of artificially produced Wormholes may be, I still love it.
The idea of multiple Singularities is one I personally find mind-blowing. Totally incredible, and it was a delight to read how they were successfully used for the movie.
Then, there are several chapters which concern themselves with the Dimensions and their probability (say nine dimensions, or five like in the movie), another brilliant topic, as well as Gravitation anomalies and the specifics of the planets of Gargantua's system. From the perspective of a normal human being I have to admit that a planet's orbit around a fast-spinning black hole blew my mind. It demanded a lot of creativity from my side to even imagine that.
Since I watched the movie for its scientific accuracy and my love for astrophysics this book was in a way even better than the movie, hardcore science explained by Kip Thorne and put into a movie by the brilliant Nolan, what more do I need? Correct, nothing.
I loved it from page one and until the last one. Highly recommended if you loved the movie and want to understand the topics behind it and if you are into science/astrophysics. For the rest - think twice before reading because it really is very complex.
August 2, 2024
Chyba wiem, co dzi艣 b臋d臋 ogl膮da膰 (ponownie) :D
November 30, 2014
First things first. I loved the movie. Nice to see a thoughtful SF movie. I am amazed at the amount of ink, virtual and other otherwise, being spilled about "What is wrong with this movie" or "What is wrong with Chris Nolan". I am delighted that Prof. Kip Thorne was involved with this film. His book,"Black Holes and Time Warps" is one of the best "popular" science books available. If you have not read it,do so. if you have seen the movie and have not read it,do so.
No, "Interstellar" is not 2001. It pays homage to 2001. 2001 was the result of one the greatest directors, and one of the greatest SF writers coming together to make a very unique film at a critical junction of human history. "The Science of Interstellar" gives a good back ground to some of the thinking behind the movie. And,like "Black Holes and Time Warps", Prof. Thorne gives the reader an excellent bibliography for further exploration of one of the "hot" fields of astrophysics. For all the arm chair physicists out there flipping out about the movie, I have advice from from my favorite computer; "...sit down calmly,take a stress pill and think things over."
No, "Interstellar" is not 2001. It pays homage to 2001. 2001 was the result of one the greatest directors, and one of the greatest SF writers coming together to make a very unique film at a critical junction of human history. "The Science of Interstellar" gives a good back ground to some of the thinking behind the movie. And,like "Black Holes and Time Warps", Prof. Thorne gives the reader an excellent bibliography for further exploration of one of the "hot" fields of astrophysics. For all the arm chair physicists out there flipping out about the movie, I have advice from from my favorite computer; "...sit down calmly,take a stress pill and think things over."
December 22, 2014
Considering the complexity of the topic, this was a surprisingly interesting and accessible read for a non-science geek like me. This book is part "behind the scenes of the making of Interstellar," part science textbook, and wholly enjoyable. Kip Thorne has a knack for making what could be very confusing concepts easily understood -- he truly has the soul of a teacher.
Reading this book made Interstellar even more interesting to me. Highly recommended for fans of Interstellar, or others simply interested in our universe and beyond.
Reading this book made Interstellar even more interesting to me. Highly recommended for fans of Interstellar, or others simply interested in our universe and beyond.
August 20, 2017
Whether you enjoyed or disliked 2014's blockbuster Interstellar, it's not a film that's easily forgotten. I personally wasn't as hooked by it as I should have been, considering it was a carefully crafted intergalactic space journey set in an apocalyptic future made by a creative crew featuring a talented cast (all of which usually tends to be just my thing). What bugged me was the science. For somebody with an interest in the field of physics, I stumbled upon various maddening plot-holes that I just couldn't take my mind off. Would The Science of Interstellar put my mind at ease regarding at least a few of them? I was willing to find out.
Kip Thorne is an American theoretical physicist who is active in the field of gravitational physics and astrophysics. He does scientific consulting as well, most notably for (take a guess) Interstellar. The first surprise of the book came only a few pages in, when I realised how important for the film-makers it was to build a story around science and not do it the other way around.
"Most important to me was our vision for a blockbuster movie grounded from the outset in real science. Science at and just beyond the frontiers of human knowledge. A film in which the director, screenwriters, and producers respect the science, take inspiration from it and weave it into the movie's fabric, thoroughly and compelling."
The book starts off with a few tidbits about how the movie came about (which will be interesting to read for fans and the curious - Steven Spielberg was to direct the film at first for example and Matthew McConaughey seems to be an absolute pleasure to work with), before launching into the meaty bits.
The Science of Interstellar is divided into different sections, with Thorne taking time first to explain some of the foundations (our universe, warped time, tidal gravity, black holes) that will be relevant later as he goes on tying the knowledge into the film's context and taking everything to a more speculative level.
Kip Thorne does a good job at explaining things, he writes in a compelling and chatty way, that's easy to read and enjoyable to follow. The book features loads of illustrations and annotations as well, which were fantastic! It made things a lot easier to understand, as the information load is immense. There are quite a lot of things covered on these pages and while it's not enough to make you an expert, it's actually a nice book to gather some basic knowledge on the subject.
However, this book is still strictly centred around the movie, so on various occasions Thorne doesn't go into as much detail as it would have been interesting for him to, solely because more knowledge isn't required to make sense of what happens in Interstellar. Speaking of the film - my frustration with it only partially eased away. While Christopher Nolan did think about the science of his movie a lot, on various occasions he deliberately ignored or changed things to make it more accessible for a mass audience.
It's definitely a good book and if you enjoy physics and enjoyed Interstellar, this is a beautiful and highly recommended read. If the movie didn't do much for you, than this publication certainly won't change your mind about it though.
Kip Thorne is an American theoretical physicist who is active in the field of gravitational physics and astrophysics. He does scientific consulting as well, most notably for (take a guess) Interstellar. The first surprise of the book came only a few pages in, when I realised how important for the film-makers it was to build a story around science and not do it the other way around.
"Most important to me was our vision for a blockbuster movie grounded from the outset in real science. Science at and just beyond the frontiers of human knowledge. A film in which the director, screenwriters, and producers respect the science, take inspiration from it and weave it into the movie's fabric, thoroughly and compelling."
The book starts off with a few tidbits about how the movie came about (which will be interesting to read for fans and the curious - Steven Spielberg was to direct the film at first for example and Matthew McConaughey seems to be an absolute pleasure to work with), before launching into the meaty bits.
The Science of Interstellar is divided into different sections, with Thorne taking time first to explain some of the foundations (our universe, warped time, tidal gravity, black holes) that will be relevant later as he goes on tying the knowledge into the film's context and taking everything to a more speculative level.
Kip Thorne does a good job at explaining things, he writes in a compelling and chatty way, that's easy to read and enjoyable to follow. The book features loads of illustrations and annotations as well, which were fantastic! It made things a lot easier to understand, as the information load is immense. There are quite a lot of things covered on these pages and while it's not enough to make you an expert, it's actually a nice book to gather some basic knowledge on the subject.
However, this book is still strictly centred around the movie, so on various occasions Thorne doesn't go into as much detail as it would have been interesting for him to, solely because more knowledge isn't required to make sense of what happens in Interstellar. Speaking of the film - my frustration with it only partially eased away. While Christopher Nolan did think about the science of his movie a lot, on various occasions he deliberately ignored or changed things to make it more accessible for a mass audience.
It's definitely a good book and if you enjoy physics and enjoyed Interstellar, this is a beautiful and highly recommended read. If the movie didn't do much for you, than this publication certainly won't change your mind about it though.
October 13, 2019
Flying along the perils of a black hole
In a recent 2019 paper published in journal Nature, astronomers glimpsed the blackness of a black hole with an event horizon, the perilous edge against a backdrop of swirling light. This is the gate of hell and the end of spacetime. At a distance from the event horizon, the radio waves emitted by plasma of matter spiraling towards the black hole bends while orbiting the black hole. The resulting light ring is referred to as 鈥榩hoton ring鈥�. This is very exciting about a black hole, and you will learn from the best, Caltech Professor Kip Thorne who won the 2018 Nobel prize in physics for his work on gravitational waves.
When the movie Interstellar was released in 2014, this book was also published on the same day. But many physicists rushed to comment on the movie erroneously. Looking back at their comments, I wished they read the book first. Author Kip Thorne discusses the physics behind the path to black hole, Gargantua. Warping of space is the key in the story. The existence of the wormhole connecting the solar system to the far reaches of the universe where Gargantua exist. The distortion of space around the wormhole and Gargantua creates a path for the flight to the distant part of the universe.
Black holes can spin just like earth, and a spinning hole drags space around it into a vortex-type, whirling motion. Like the air in a tornado, space whirls fastest near the hole's center, and the whirl slows as one moves outward, away from the hole. Anything that falls toward the hole's horizon gets dragged, by the whirl of space. But where does space bend to in a black hole? Physicists conjecture that space bends inside a higher-dimensional hyperspace called "the bulk," which is not part of our universe! How do we visualize this? Suppose if we look horizontally along the Sun's equatorial plane, it would appear as a two-dimensional surface, a two-dimensional membrane (brane), and at Sun鈥檚 core space bends slightly downward in a higher-dimensional bulk. This is extremely small for a star like Sun but very large for a black hole. When Professor Brand works with equations of relativity, he discovers the possibility of gravitational anomalies triggered by physical fields that reside in the bulk. In fact, the bulk is known to contain much of the gravity that belongs to our universe.
The Tesseract is an enormous, hyper-cubic, grid-like structure and a means of communication for the bulk beings to express action through gravity with Earth. Copper lands in tesseract that is placed by bulk beings near Gargantua, and he is carried into the bulk. The bulk beings can perceive five dimensions including the time dimension; every moment in the past, present, and future. They can influence gravity within any of those time frames.
Director Christopher Nolan wanted the Miller's planet circling Gargantua where one hour is seven years on Earth. Thorne figured out a way out, a black hole can have a maximum spin rate. When a black hole spin is one part in 100trillion smaller than the maximum possible, then that black hole has difficulty capturing objects that orbit in the same direction as the hole rotates. This will get the extreme slowing of time on nearby Miller's planet and such a black hole will not have any harmful jets of radiation streaming through the sky. In addition, the Ranger spacecraft gets a gravitational slingshot maneuver at such an extreme gravity to fly toward Edmund planet.
Life is made of atoms and molecules. Atomic structure evolved in three-spatial dimensions to create specific atomic orbitals in space that leads to the valence structure, like carbon has sp, sp2 and sp3 hybridizations that result in specific spatial orientation leading to various molecular structures. Exposing atoms to four-spatial dimension will destroy the three-dimensional molecular and atomic shapes, and instantly collapses life in the a four-space world. Kip Thorne argues that Cooper is confined to reside in one of the tesseract's three-space-dimensional faces, and he does not experience the tesseract's fourth spatial dimension. This is highly speculative!
Another interesting fact you will learn is that If it is not possible to go backward in time. But you can only do so by traveling outward in space and then returning to spacetime at starting point before you left. You cannot go backward in time at some fixed location, while watching others go forward in time. You can鈥檛 engineer your own salvation or exclude your existence by causing the demise of your parents before you were born. That physical reality is strongly favored by the existing laws of physics.
Thorne is a top-notch writer and a narrator of the physics behind the movie 鈥淚nterstellar.鈥� This book is highly engaging, but some segments may be rough going. That's the nature of real science, it requires thought, but thinking is rewarding, or you may skip rough parts. Thorne explains the fact of this book in three parts, some are science-truths, others are educated guess, and some speculation. The 2019 Nature paper essentially confirms the black hole we saw in the movie Interstellar, and this is described in significant detail in this book.
In a recent 2019 paper published in journal Nature, astronomers glimpsed the blackness of a black hole with an event horizon, the perilous edge against a backdrop of swirling light. This is the gate of hell and the end of spacetime. At a distance from the event horizon, the radio waves emitted by plasma of matter spiraling towards the black hole bends while orbiting the black hole. The resulting light ring is referred to as 鈥榩hoton ring鈥�. This is very exciting about a black hole, and you will learn from the best, Caltech Professor Kip Thorne who won the 2018 Nobel prize in physics for his work on gravitational waves.
When the movie Interstellar was released in 2014, this book was also published on the same day. But many physicists rushed to comment on the movie erroneously. Looking back at their comments, I wished they read the book first. Author Kip Thorne discusses the physics behind the path to black hole, Gargantua. Warping of space is the key in the story. The existence of the wormhole connecting the solar system to the far reaches of the universe where Gargantua exist. The distortion of space around the wormhole and Gargantua creates a path for the flight to the distant part of the universe.
Black holes can spin just like earth, and a spinning hole drags space around it into a vortex-type, whirling motion. Like the air in a tornado, space whirls fastest near the hole's center, and the whirl slows as one moves outward, away from the hole. Anything that falls toward the hole's horizon gets dragged, by the whirl of space. But where does space bend to in a black hole? Physicists conjecture that space bends inside a higher-dimensional hyperspace called "the bulk," which is not part of our universe! How do we visualize this? Suppose if we look horizontally along the Sun's equatorial plane, it would appear as a two-dimensional surface, a two-dimensional membrane (brane), and at Sun鈥檚 core space bends slightly downward in a higher-dimensional bulk. This is extremely small for a star like Sun but very large for a black hole. When Professor Brand works with equations of relativity, he discovers the possibility of gravitational anomalies triggered by physical fields that reside in the bulk. In fact, the bulk is known to contain much of the gravity that belongs to our universe.
The Tesseract is an enormous, hyper-cubic, grid-like structure and a means of communication for the bulk beings to express action through gravity with Earth. Copper lands in tesseract that is placed by bulk beings near Gargantua, and he is carried into the bulk. The bulk beings can perceive five dimensions including the time dimension; every moment in the past, present, and future. They can influence gravity within any of those time frames.
Director Christopher Nolan wanted the Miller's planet circling Gargantua where one hour is seven years on Earth. Thorne figured out a way out, a black hole can have a maximum spin rate. When a black hole spin is one part in 100trillion smaller than the maximum possible, then that black hole has difficulty capturing objects that orbit in the same direction as the hole rotates. This will get the extreme slowing of time on nearby Miller's planet and such a black hole will not have any harmful jets of radiation streaming through the sky. In addition, the Ranger spacecraft gets a gravitational slingshot maneuver at such an extreme gravity to fly toward Edmund planet.
Life is made of atoms and molecules. Atomic structure evolved in three-spatial dimensions to create specific atomic orbitals in space that leads to the valence structure, like carbon has sp, sp2 and sp3 hybridizations that result in specific spatial orientation leading to various molecular structures. Exposing atoms to four-spatial dimension will destroy the three-dimensional molecular and atomic shapes, and instantly collapses life in the a four-space world. Kip Thorne argues that Cooper is confined to reside in one of the tesseract's three-space-dimensional faces, and he does not experience the tesseract's fourth spatial dimension. This is highly speculative!
Another interesting fact you will learn is that If it is not possible to go backward in time. But you can only do so by traveling outward in space and then returning to spacetime at starting point before you left. You cannot go backward in time at some fixed location, while watching others go forward in time. You can鈥檛 engineer your own salvation or exclude your existence by causing the demise of your parents before you were born. That physical reality is strongly favored by the existing laws of physics.
Thorne is a top-notch writer and a narrator of the physics behind the movie 鈥淚nterstellar.鈥� This book is highly engaging, but some segments may be rough going. That's the nature of real science, it requires thought, but thinking is rewarding, or you may skip rough parts. Thorne explains the fact of this book in three parts, some are science-truths, others are educated guess, and some speculation. The 2019 Nature paper essentially confirms the black hole we saw in the movie Interstellar, and this is described in significant detail in this book.
September 7, 2023
Am vizionat de dou膬 ori Interstellar, filmul science-fiction regizat de Christopher Nolan 葯i lansat 卯n 2014. Prima dat膬 卯n urm膬 cu c芒葲iva ani, nu mult dup膬 ce ap膬ruse, 卯ntr-o vreme 卯n care nu eram foarte atras de fizic膬. A doua oar膬 m-am uitat foarte recent, 卯nainte de a citi cartea lui Kip Thorne. Urmeaz膬 s膬-l v膬d a treia oar膬, 葯i cu ocazia asta ni葯te piese de puzzle se vor a葯eza la locul lor. Interstellar 卯mplete葯te 卯ntr-un fel unic teoriile demonstrate ale fizicii lui Newton 葯i Einstein cu cele foarte pu葲in explorate ale fizicii cuantice, unde se studiaz膬 elementele la nivel micro.
Kip Thorne a fost consultantul 葯tiin葲ific al filmului 葯i, mai important, laureat al premiului Nobel pentru fizic膬 卯n 2017 鈥減entru contribu葲ii decisive la detectorul LIGO 葯i observarea undelor gravita葲ionale鈥�. 脦ns膬 葯i mai interesant mi s-a p膬rut听 faptul c膬 pasiunea pentru literatura SF a fost cea care l-a determinat s膬 studieze fizica 葯i s膬 aleag膬 o carier膬 卯n domeniul 葯tiin葲ei. A fost prieten cu Carl Sagan, c膬ruia i-a dat ni葯te idei foarte utile pentru celebrul roman 鈥淐ontact鈥�. La r芒ndul lui, Sagan i-a f膬cut cuno葯tin葲膬 卯n anii 鈥�80 cu Lynda Obst, cea care avea s膬 fie, peste ani, produc膬toarea filmelor Contact 葯i Interstellar.
Cartea desface filmul de la 卯nceput la sf芒r葯it din punctul de vedere al fizicii. K. Thorne 卯mparte capitolele 卯n informa葲ii cunoscute 葯i verificate 鈥� fizica 葯tiut膬, de zi cu zi -, 卯n specula葲ii nedovedite ce 葲in mai mult de science-fiction 葯i 卯n ipoteze plauzibile, 卯ns膬 f膬r膬 fundamente dovedite. 脦ncep芒nd de la mana care distruge plantele 葯i din cauza c膬reia via葲a pe Terra nu va mai fi posibil膬, 听gaura de vierme ap膬rut膬 din senin l芒ng膬 Saturn 葯i gaura neagr膬 de la cap膬tul acesteia, p芒n膬 la for葲a gravita葲ional膬 葯i hiperspa葲iu, toate sunt puse sub lup膬 葯i explicate. Sunt, 卯ntr-adev膬r, 葯i buc膬葲i mai greu de 卯n葲eles, 卯n care e posibil s膬-葲i prinzi urechile (葯i eu am p膬葲it-o), dar e dificil s膬 explici spa葲iul 卯n cinci dimensiuni, c膬l膬toria printr-o gaur膬 de vierme ce are o durat膬 de via葲膬 limitat膬 sau c芒te tipuri de singularit膬葲i are o gaur膬 neagr膬 cu o mas膬 de miliarde de ori c芒t masa soarelui care ne 卯nc膬lze葯te pe noi. 脦ns膬 toate acestea au fost provoc膬ri, nu limit膬ri.
Dac膬-葲i place SF-ul, dac膬 te fascineaz膬 universul, stelele, materia 卯ntunecat膬 葯i pulsarii, dac膬 te pasioneaz膬 葯tiin葲a 葯i vrei s膬 afli cum se vede lumea dintr-un teseract (nu cel din Avengers), ori dac膬 vrei s膬 葯tii cum s膬 trimi葲i un mesaj 卯n trecut, atunci uit膬-te la film 葯i cite葯te cartea. Apoi vezi din nou filmul 葯i cite葯te cartea.
听
Kip Thorne a fost consultantul 葯tiin葲ific al filmului 葯i, mai important, laureat al premiului Nobel pentru fizic膬 卯n 2017 鈥減entru contribu葲ii decisive la detectorul LIGO 葯i observarea undelor gravita葲ionale鈥�. 脦ns膬 葯i mai interesant mi s-a p膬rut听 faptul c膬 pasiunea pentru literatura SF a fost cea care l-a determinat s膬 studieze fizica 葯i s膬 aleag膬 o carier膬 卯n domeniul 葯tiin葲ei. A fost prieten cu Carl Sagan, c膬ruia i-a dat ni葯te idei foarte utile pentru celebrul roman 鈥淐ontact鈥�. La r芒ndul lui, Sagan i-a f膬cut cuno葯tin葲膬 卯n anii 鈥�80 cu Lynda Obst, cea care avea s膬 fie, peste ani, produc膬toarea filmelor Contact 葯i Interstellar.
Cartea desface filmul de la 卯nceput la sf芒r葯it din punctul de vedere al fizicii. K. Thorne 卯mparte capitolele 卯n informa葲ii cunoscute 葯i verificate 鈥� fizica 葯tiut膬, de zi cu zi -, 卯n specula葲ii nedovedite ce 葲in mai mult de science-fiction 葯i 卯n ipoteze plauzibile, 卯ns膬 f膬r膬 fundamente dovedite. 脦ncep芒nd de la mana care distruge plantele 葯i din cauza c膬reia via葲a pe Terra nu va mai fi posibil膬, 听gaura de vierme ap膬rut膬 din senin l芒ng膬 Saturn 葯i gaura neagr膬 de la cap膬tul acesteia, p芒n膬 la for葲a gravita葲ional膬 葯i hiperspa葲iu, toate sunt puse sub lup膬 葯i explicate. Sunt, 卯ntr-adev膬r, 葯i buc膬葲i mai greu de 卯n葲eles, 卯n care e posibil s膬-葲i prinzi urechile (葯i eu am p膬葲it-o), dar e dificil s膬 explici spa葲iul 卯n cinci dimensiuni, c膬l膬toria printr-o gaur膬 de vierme ce are o durat膬 de via葲膬 limitat膬 sau c芒te tipuri de singularit膬葲i are o gaur膬 neagr膬 cu o mas膬 de miliarde de ori c芒t masa soarelui care ne 卯nc膬lze葯te pe noi. 脦ns膬 toate acestea au fost provoc膬ri, nu limit膬ri.
Dac膬-葲i place SF-ul, dac膬 te fascineaz膬 universul, stelele, materia 卯ntunecat膬 葯i pulsarii, dac膬 te pasioneaz膬 葯tiin葲a 葯i vrei s膬 afli cum se vede lumea dintr-un teseract (nu cel din Avengers), ori dac膬 vrei s膬 葯tii cum s膬 trimi葲i un mesaj 卯n trecut, atunci uit膬-te la film 葯i cite葯te cartea. Apoi vezi din nou filmul 葯i cite葯te cartea.
听
June 17, 2015
Interstellar is one my fav film & Christopher Nolan is my fav director I have seen all movies of him (except 'following' which I m gonna watch soon) besides him the work of 'double negative' the visual effect team of Paul Franklin made to Oscar & ofcourse the sources Kip Throne & Lynda Obst...
The Climax of the film 'The Tesserect' made me surprisingly awestrucked which happens to arise my interest in the book of the great scientist Kip Throne..
The chapters in the book are labeled as-
1) Truth
2) Educated Guess
3) Speculation
So it's a complete interpretation of scientific phenomenons happening in the movie from that I have known things that I had never heard before...
The most interesting parts of book are:
# The 5D Bulk
# The Brands
# Gravitational Anomalies
# Warped Space-Time
# Tidal Gravity
# Black Holes (Gargantua)
# Worm Holes
# Gravitational Slingshots
# Blight (On Earth)
# Miller's & Mann's Planets
# The Tesserect
These are the mind blowing concepts scientists have discovered recently..
I would write a lot about Tesserect, Black holes & Wormholes but I don't want spoilers here...lol there isn't anything like spoilers in science non-fiction u will have to read it to get it...
The thing I wanna say is we humans r capable of discovering, deciphering, mastering and using to control our own fate & of dealing with most any catastrophe the universe may throw at us or our own ones..
We are very close to discover the unified theory to unravel all the mysteries of forces & fields in nature by amalgamation of Newtonian,Relativistic,Quantum & other new laws.We come across new frontiers no matter how incognita it seems.
The Climax of the film 'The Tesserect' made me surprisingly awestrucked which happens to arise my interest in the book of the great scientist Kip Throne..
The chapters in the book are labeled as-
1) Truth
2) Educated Guess
3) Speculation
So it's a complete interpretation of scientific phenomenons happening in the movie from that I have known things that I had never heard before...
The most interesting parts of book are:
# The 5D Bulk
# The Brands
# Gravitational Anomalies
# Warped Space-Time
# Tidal Gravity
# Black Holes (Gargantua)
# Worm Holes
# Gravitational Slingshots
# Blight (On Earth)
# Miller's & Mann's Planets
# The Tesserect
These are the mind blowing concepts scientists have discovered recently..
I would write a lot about Tesserect, Black holes & Wormholes but I don't want spoilers here...lol there isn't anything like spoilers in science non-fiction u will have to read it to get it...
The thing I wanna say is we humans r capable of discovering, deciphering, mastering and using to control our own fate & of dealing with most any catastrophe the universe may throw at us or our own ones..
We are very close to discover the unified theory to unravel all the mysteries of forces & fields in nature by amalgamation of Newtonian,Relativistic,Quantum & other new laws.We come across new frontiers no matter how incognita it seems.
December 19, 2014
I had trouble following a lot of Thorne's explanations, particularly the subjects of 'brane' and 'bulk'. He doesnt clearly explain these concepts. He mentions that there may be 'membranes' and we exist in a 3-dimensional membrane or 'brane', and there are separate branes above and below us like a sandwich. Im not an astrophysicist so this concept completely flew over my mind, is this brane made out of dark matter like the rest of our universe? I understand these are heavy concepts based on decades of physics and math research but it would be nice if they were broken down a bit more.
Thorne's pictures did help to some extent but when we are talking about dealing with concepts like multi-dimensional 'branes' and beings, time stretching and spacetime folding, its very hard to visualize and understand even the most basic of concepts. I had to google the word 'tesseract' to fully understand what Thorne was talking about, he never explains the basic concepts. Things like 'singularity' are never fully explained so you will need to do a lot of additional googling outside the book (not a big deal but worth mentioning)
I would give this book at least 3 stars though because its absolutely mind bending and makes you visualize the entire universe in a different way, it was very exciting to read. To imagine our 3D selves living in a universe with multiple other dimensions and spacetime folding is absolutely incredible. I would definitely recommend this to people looking for answers to the movie.
One thing the book did not answer; in the movie Cooper lands on Millers planet, then leaves when the waves are about to hit them. The characters mention that both Millers and Mann planets are roughly 80% of Earth size and have similar gravity pull (we know this because Brand and the robot are walking 'normally' on Millers sufrace so the gravity looks very Earth like.
My question is why did the Ranger lift off Millers planet so easily (when the waves hit) yet back on Earth they need massive booster rockets to put payload into orbit? It makes no sense technologically, if Ranger can leave Millers gravitational pull just using its own engines, why are they using booster rockets back on earth?
Thorne's pictures did help to some extent but when we are talking about dealing with concepts like multi-dimensional 'branes' and beings, time stretching and spacetime folding, its very hard to visualize and understand even the most basic of concepts. I had to google the word 'tesseract' to fully understand what Thorne was talking about, he never explains the basic concepts. Things like 'singularity' are never fully explained so you will need to do a lot of additional googling outside the book (not a big deal but worth mentioning)
I would give this book at least 3 stars though because its absolutely mind bending and makes you visualize the entire universe in a different way, it was very exciting to read. To imagine our 3D selves living in a universe with multiple other dimensions and spacetime folding is absolutely incredible. I would definitely recommend this to people looking for answers to the movie.
One thing the book did not answer; in the movie Cooper lands on Millers planet, then leaves when the waves are about to hit them. The characters mention that both Millers and Mann planets are roughly 80% of Earth size and have similar gravity pull (we know this because Brand and the robot are walking 'normally' on Millers sufrace so the gravity looks very Earth like.
My question is why did the Ranger lift off Millers planet so easily (when the waves hit) yet back on Earth they need massive booster rockets to put payload into orbit? It makes no sense technologically, if Ranger can leave Millers gravitational pull just using its own engines, why are they using booster rockets back on earth?
December 21, 2014
脫timo livro de f铆sica e o melhor complemento para quem quer entender o livro. Kip Thorne detalha os princ铆pios cient铆ficos (como um buraco negro funciona, por exemplo) e o racioc铆nio que ele usou no filme. Me deu outra dimens茫o para o filme e um respeito enorme pelo tanto de ci锚ncia que Nollan colocou nele. 脡 o filme mais cientificamente embasado que consigo lembrar. E, quanto ao livro, foi a primeira vez que tive uma no莽茫o clara do que seria uma hiperdimens茫o.
November 21, 2014
What to say... incredible book. I applaud the author for the effort to present complex science to ordinary readers like me. The universe is indeed stranger than we can even imagine.
October 23, 2017
I was self-indulging.
March 10, 2017
I would have given 10 stars out of 5 for this book. Though I m reading this book late, this is one of the brilliant masterpieces I have read. Interstellar is one of my favorite movies as it is one of the very few movies that use Einstein's relativity laws and you digest them with the flow of the movie. Kip Thorne wrote this book as an introductory textbook to interstellar science. Higher dimensionality, the science of black holes and worm holes, tidal gravity, Gargantua simulations, bulk beings, gravitational anomalies - presented in the easiest way with illustrations and detailed explanations. I bet you 'll learn loads. Also, this book frankly exposes Nolan's exaggerations (in terms of science vs Art) and corresponding justifications. This was one of the best books I have read. If you liked the movie Interstellar - don't miss to read this book. If you just read the book, watch the movie again.
January 6, 2015
I feel ashamed I ever had that brief fling with Kip, and I've written to him to say that it's officially never happened. He apologized and said he understood. At least these cutting-edge physicists are more understanding than usual about retroactive alterations to reality.
December 30, 2016
This book was just amazing. Kip Thorne is talking about just EVERYTHING that happened in the record-braking and Oscar-winner movie. If you really want to understand exactly all the cool stuff that happened through the movie, just read this :))
February 19, 2025
This is a fun science book. The author, the Richard P. Feynmann Professor of theoretical physicist at Caltech until 2009, Kip Thorne, assisted Christopher Nolan with his movie. Thorne seems like a wonderful teacher. Here he breaks down the science of black holes, wormholes, gravity, branes and singularities into bite-size pieces with lots of nifty diagrams and illustrations, and 鈥� bonus dog鈥攏o math, that makes it easy to understand, conceptually. It was all fairly easy to follow and helped me enjoy the film even more. Have fun!
November 13, 2023
How to see black holes and wormholes
This is how every explanation of science to a general audience should begin
A warning for kindle users: there are lots of pictures, most of them are in color, and you will not understand them without the color. I read the text on my kindle paperwhite, which doesn't do color, but kept a copy open on my desktop computer for the sake of the pictures. This worked pretty well for me.
I am a scientist and a mathematician. I am far from an expert on gravity, but I have studied it. Still, I learned a lot. I remember when I saw , many of my friends complained that the film presents an unrealistic picture of what happens when one falls into a black hole -- that in reality your body would be shredded to atoms on encountering the singularity. I thought the same, but was willing to let it go -- it's science fiction, after all. Turns out we were all wrong. The singularities (plural -- yes, there are three) of a black hole may be more gentle than I or my friends had any idea of. doesn't tell you that it's possible to survive falling into a black hole. Indeed, he says in his opinion, it is unlikely. But that is just his opinion, not proven fact.
I do have one complaint. Too much of the book read like a HOWTO for producing images of blackholes and wormholes. Of course this was a big deal for and the team, who worked hard to produce the extraordinary (and Oscar-winning) realistic visual effects. A lot of new and original science by and visual effects lead Paul Franklin went into this. Very cool. But honestly, I didn't really want it explained in quite so much such detail.
In summary, is a great work of science explanation, and is also interesting for showing how a scientifically realistic science fiction movie got made.
.
This is how every explanation of science to a general audience should begin
If your struggle [to understand] is fruitless, then that鈥檚 my fault, not yours, and I apologize.There are far, FAR too many people who thinking that being hard to understand is a sign of genius. This belief is as wrong as it gets. The sign of a real genius (and is that) is making the most difficult ideas understandable to everyone. In a foreword, Chris Nolan (director of ) writes of
He saw his role not as science police, but as narrative collaborator鈥攕couring scientific journals and academic papers for solutions to corners I鈥檇 written myself into. Kip has taught me the defining characteristic of science鈥攊ts humility in the face of nature鈥檚 surprises.Now, 's words do hint at one limit. He mentions "your struggle". He's not promising to slip the comprehension effortlessly into your brain. If you want it, you have to work for it -- he can't entirely do that part for you. It's a fair demand. He has surely worked very, very hard, most of his life, to understand these things he's trying to explain. On top of that, he worked hard on the film and on this book.
A warning for kindle users: there are lots of pictures, most of them are in color, and you will not understand them without the color. I read the text on my kindle paperwhite, which doesn't do color, but kept a copy open on my desktop computer for the sake of the pictures. This worked pretty well for me.
I am a scientist and a mathematician. I am far from an expert on gravity, but I have studied it. Still, I learned a lot. I remember when I saw , many of my friends complained that the film presents an unrealistic picture of what happens when one falls into a black hole -- that in reality your body would be shredded to atoms on encountering the singularity. I thought the same, but was willing to let it go -- it's science fiction, after all. Turns out we were all wrong. The singularities (plural -- yes, there are three) of a black hole may be more gentle than I or my friends had any idea of. doesn't tell you that it's possible to survive falling into a black hole. Indeed, he says in his opinion, it is unlikely. But that is just his opinion, not proven fact.
I do have one complaint. Too much of the book read like a HOWTO for producing images of blackholes and wormholes. Of course this was a big deal for and the team, who worked hard to produce the extraordinary (and Oscar-winning) realistic visual effects. A lot of new and original science by and visual effects lead Paul Franklin went into this. Very cool. But honestly, I didn't really want it explained in quite so much such detail.
In summary, is a great work of science explanation, and is also interesting for showing how a scientifically realistic science fiction movie got made.
.
December 13, 2022
Autorul, Kip Thorne este fizicianul a c膬rui expertiz膬 葯tiin葲ific膬 a fost folosit膬 la acurate葲ea 葯tiin葲ific膬 a celebrului film, Interstellar. Filmul este o reprezentare complex膬 a unui eveniment ipotetic, dar nu imposibil, al instinctului de supravie葲uire al umanit膬葲ii 卯n urma unui dezastru global. Urm膬rind descrierile din carte, filmul apare 葯i mai complex. Explor芒nd un teritoriu 葯tiin葲ific extrem de vast, de la fizic膬 relativist膬, biologie, fizic膬 cuantic膬, geofizic膬, realiz膬m complexitatea fulminant膬 a universului care ne 卯nconjoar膬 din toate p膬r葲ile, de la nivelul microuniversului cuantic p芒n膬 la cople葯itorul macrounivers.
Prezentarea se desf膬葯oar膬 de-a lungul a 30 de capitole caracterizate fiecare de gradul cunoa葯terii 葯tiin葲ifice care se afl膬 卯n spatele imaginilor 葯i ac葲iunii filmului. Ca s膬 卯n葲elegem bine fenomenele 葯tiin葲ifice pe care se cadreaz膬 filmul avem nevoie s膬 discernem 卯ntre adev膬ruri 葯tiin葲ifice, teorii verificate prin observa葲ii; ipoteze plauzibile 葯i specula葲ii, fenomene care au un anume grad probabilitate de a exista 葯i a fi observate 葯i devin adev膬rate dup膬 ce intr膬m 卯n contact cu efectele lor.
Autorul prezint膬 un breviar cosmologic al stelelor neutronice, quasarilor, g膬urilor negre 葯i a anatomiei acestora 葯i a altor teorii care stau la baza simul膬rilor efectelor din film 葯i apoi parcurge spa葲iul specula葲iilor pe baza ipotezelor, care dau filmului un con葲inut viu. Astfel c膬 ajungem s膬 afl膬m idei avansate despre structura spa葲iului multidimensional 葯i al mersului 卯n timp, acestea av芒nd 卯n spate anumite date 葯tiin葲ifice 卯ns膬 neobservabile fizic, dar 卯ntemeiate pe date ale fizicii teoretice. De aceea clasificarea de scient-fiction a filmului 卯nclin膬 mult spre aspectul 葯tiin葲ific. Chiar 葯i fenomenele care par fanteziste, destul de improbabile 卯n realitate, pot fi considerate ca solu葲ii ale fizicii teoretice. Explica葲iile sunt 卯nso葲ite foarte frecvent de reprezent膬ri grafice sugestive, color, pentru a da cititorului 葯ansa de a 卯n葲elege mai bine fenomenele fizice contraintuitive.
Dincolo de mesajul filmului, autorul 葲ine s膬 sublinieze lucrul care este esen葲ial, 葯i care se deduce in complexitatea subiectului, c膬 omul, pentru propria lui supravie葲uire, 卯n fa葲a fatalit膬葲ii naturii, 鈥瀙entru a ne controla destinul, e nevoie ca o mare parte din noi s膬 卯n葲elegem 葯i s膬 pre葲uim 葯tiin葲a: felul 卯n care ea func葲ioneaz膬. Ce ne 卯nva葲膬 ea despre univers, P膬m芒nt 葯i via葲膬. Ce poate ea 卯nf膬ptui. Care 卯i sunt limitele, determinate de cunoa葯terea sau tehnologia inadecvate. Cum pot fi dep膬葯ite acele limite. Cum progres膬m de la specula葲ie la ipotez膬 plauzibil膬, apoi la adev膬r. C芒t de rare sunt revolu葲iile care schimb膬 felul 卯n care percepem adv膬rul, dar c芒t de importante鈥�.
Prezentarea se desf膬葯oar膬 de-a lungul a 30 de capitole caracterizate fiecare de gradul cunoa葯terii 葯tiin葲ifice care se afl膬 卯n spatele imaginilor 葯i ac葲iunii filmului. Ca s膬 卯n葲elegem bine fenomenele 葯tiin葲ifice pe care se cadreaz膬 filmul avem nevoie s膬 discernem 卯ntre adev膬ruri 葯tiin葲ifice, teorii verificate prin observa葲ii; ipoteze plauzibile 葯i specula葲ii, fenomene care au un anume grad probabilitate de a exista 葯i a fi observate 葯i devin adev膬rate dup膬 ce intr膬m 卯n contact cu efectele lor.
Autorul prezint膬 un breviar cosmologic al stelelor neutronice, quasarilor, g膬urilor negre 葯i a anatomiei acestora 葯i a altor teorii care stau la baza simul膬rilor efectelor din film 葯i apoi parcurge spa葲iul specula葲iilor pe baza ipotezelor, care dau filmului un con葲inut viu. Astfel c膬 ajungem s膬 afl膬m idei avansate despre structura spa葲iului multidimensional 葯i al mersului 卯n timp, acestea av芒nd 卯n spate anumite date 葯tiin葲ifice 卯ns膬 neobservabile fizic, dar 卯ntemeiate pe date ale fizicii teoretice. De aceea clasificarea de scient-fiction a filmului 卯nclin膬 mult spre aspectul 葯tiin葲ific. Chiar 葯i fenomenele care par fanteziste, destul de improbabile 卯n realitate, pot fi considerate ca solu葲ii ale fizicii teoretice. Explica葲iile sunt 卯nso葲ite foarte frecvent de reprezent膬ri grafice sugestive, color, pentru a da cititorului 葯ansa de a 卯n葲elege mai bine fenomenele fizice contraintuitive.
Dincolo de mesajul filmului, autorul 葲ine s膬 sublinieze lucrul care este esen葲ial, 葯i care se deduce in complexitatea subiectului, c膬 omul, pentru propria lui supravie葲uire, 卯n fa葲a fatalit膬葲ii naturii, 鈥瀙entru a ne controla destinul, e nevoie ca o mare parte din noi s膬 卯n葲elegem 葯i s膬 pre葲uim 葯tiin葲a: felul 卯n care ea func葲ioneaz膬. Ce ne 卯nva葲膬 ea despre univers, P膬m芒nt 葯i via葲膬. Ce poate ea 卯nf膬ptui. Care 卯i sunt limitele, determinate de cunoa葯terea sau tehnologia inadecvate. Cum pot fi dep膬葯ite acele limite. Cum progres膬m de la specula葲ie la ipotez膬 plauzibil膬, apoi la adev膬r. C芒t de rare sunt revolu葲iile care schimb膬 felul 卯n care percepem adv膬rul, dar c芒t de importante鈥�.
March 30, 2015
The physicist Kip Thorne is the scientific mind behind the science of "Interstellar", thus if you want to know anything related to the astrophysics discussed in the movie, this is the book to read. Thorne introduces us to the beginning of the idea, when the movie was still to be directed by Steven Spielberg, and then moves to discussing in detail all the science present in the movie.
Thorne does good a job in communicating complex concepts, however don't expect this book to be as easy as "Interstellar", because if you really want to understand what is being discussed, you'll have to put your mind to work. The book is challenging but Thorne works hard to make it accessible using lots of pictures to help us visualise the most difficult ideas.
I just don't give the 5 stars because the book is organised only around the film, lacking a structure of itself, failing to build its own narrative. But it serves very well the purpose, to enlarge the scope of the discussion started by Interstellar.
Thorne does good a job in communicating complex concepts, however don't expect this book to be as easy as "Interstellar", because if you really want to understand what is being discussed, you'll have to put your mind to work. The book is challenging but Thorne works hard to make it accessible using lots of pictures to help us visualise the most difficult ideas.
I just don't give the 5 stars because the book is organised only around the film, lacking a structure of itself, failing to build its own narrative. But it serves very well the purpose, to enlarge the scope of the discussion started by Interstellar.
September 8, 2019
Interstellar is one of my favorite movies so when I saw the book The Science of Interstellar at Barnes and Noble and noticed it was written by the great theoretical physicist Kip Thorne I bought it right away. Thorne was the science adviser and executive producer of Interstellar which was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Casey Affleck, and Michael Caine. Chrisopher Nolan wrote the Forward to the book.
In Kip Thorne's preface to The Science of Interstellar he states that the science in the movie is at or just beyond today's frontiers of human understanding and in the body he explains what we know about the phenomena seen in the movie (black holes, wormholes, singularities, the fifth dimension, etc.) and finally he interprets from a scientists viewpoint what we are seeing in the movie. He admits that some of the book requires deep thought and will be hard to understand and confesses "if your struggle to understand is fruitless, then that's my fault, not yours, and I apologize."
The book is chock full of movie and scientific goodness. There are fantastic photos and interesting scientific illustrations throughout. My favorite photo happens to be of Kip writing the insanely complex equations on Professor Brands sixteen blackboards. He relates anecdotes of meeting and teaching the actors and talks in depth about his disagreements with Nolan about how the science should be portrayed in the movie. The behind the scenes "making of" parts were enthralling. The book does not skimp on the science. For each particular scientific phenomena Kip addresses he takes a deep dive in to the hard science behind it, and much of this hurt my head very much. It reminded me of reading the books by Kip's friend, Stephen Hawking.
In addition to all the interesting movie and science talk the book contains a section called "Where Can You Learn More?" in which Kip lists a number of books and websites to read to learn more about the science covered in each particular chapter. And if your brain was not completely melted by the science in the main text he includes a "Some Technical Notes" chapter with contains even more mind-numbing scientific information for some of the chapters. The book also contains an extensive bibliography, and separate indexes of people and subjects.
I think I saw Interstellar four times in the theater including two times in IMAX - I now want to see it again! If you saw and enjoyed Interstellar I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you haven't seen the movie yet don't read this book until you have. There is even a sticker on the outside of the book warning: "SPOILER ALERT: This book explains the fantastic climax and ending of Interstellar." I loved everything about his book.
My second read for #ScienceSeptember.
In Kip Thorne's preface to The Science of Interstellar he states that the science in the movie is at or just beyond today's frontiers of human understanding and in the body he explains what we know about the phenomena seen in the movie (black holes, wormholes, singularities, the fifth dimension, etc.) and finally he interprets from a scientists viewpoint what we are seeing in the movie. He admits that some of the book requires deep thought and will be hard to understand and confesses "if your struggle to understand is fruitless, then that's my fault, not yours, and I apologize."
The book is chock full of movie and scientific goodness. There are fantastic photos and interesting scientific illustrations throughout. My favorite photo happens to be of Kip writing the insanely complex equations on Professor Brands sixteen blackboards. He relates anecdotes of meeting and teaching the actors and talks in depth about his disagreements with Nolan about how the science should be portrayed in the movie. The behind the scenes "making of" parts were enthralling. The book does not skimp on the science. For each particular scientific phenomena Kip addresses he takes a deep dive in to the hard science behind it, and much of this hurt my head very much. It reminded me of reading the books by Kip's friend, Stephen Hawking.
In addition to all the interesting movie and science talk the book contains a section called "Where Can You Learn More?" in which Kip lists a number of books and websites to read to learn more about the science covered in each particular chapter. And if your brain was not completely melted by the science in the main text he includes a "Some Technical Notes" chapter with contains even more mind-numbing scientific information for some of the chapters. The book also contains an extensive bibliography, and separate indexes of people and subjects.
I think I saw Interstellar four times in the theater including two times in IMAX - I now want to see it again! If you saw and enjoyed Interstellar I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you haven't seen the movie yet don't read this book until you have. There is even a sticker on the outside of the book warning: "SPOILER ALERT: This book explains the fantastic climax and ending of Interstellar." I loved everything about his book.
My second read for #ScienceSeptember.
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March 28, 2016陌zleyiciler taraf谋ndan b眉y眉k be臒eni alan Y谋ld谋zlararas谋 (Interstellar) filmi gerek i莽eri臒i, gerekse g枚rsel yap谋s谋 ve bilime yapt谋臒谋 katk谋lar谋yla ses getirdi. Filmin bilim dan谋艧man谋 (ve ayn谋 zamanda yap谋mc谋lar谋ndan olan) 眉nl眉 fizik莽i Kip Thorne bu kitapta filmdeki hemen her bir sahnenin bilimsel arkaplan谋n谋 a莽谋kl谋yor.
Y谋ld谋zlararas谋 filmi ba艧tan sona bilimsel kuramlara dayanmakta. Fantezi 枚臒eleri yok filmde. Ancak bu bilimsel kuramlar谋n hepsi ayn谋 t眉rden de臒il. Kip Thorne Y谋ld谋zlararas谋鈥檔谋n Bilimi鈥檔de bilimsel kuramlar谋 眉莽e ay谋r谋yor: 陌lki, kan谋tlanm谋艧 bilimsel ger莽ekler (g枚relilik kuram谋, kuantum kuram谋 vb gibi). 陌kincisi ise hen眉z kan谋tlanmasa bile kan谋tlanaca臒谋na kesin g枚z眉yle bak谋lanlar (枚rne臒in hen眉z Mars鈥檃 insan g枚nderemediysek de yak谋n bir zamanda g枚nderece臒imiz kesin). 脺莽眉nc眉 t眉r bilimsel kuramlarsa, di臒er bilimsel kuramlarla 莽eli艧meyen ancak hen眉z kan谋tlanmam谋艧 kuramlar (sicim kuramlar谋, 5 veya 11 boyutlu uzayzaman vb gibi). Bu kuramlar谋n do臒rulanaca臒谋na dair bir kan谋t yok elimizde. Ancak di臒er kuramlarla uyum i莽inde olduklar谋ndan bunlara fantezi veya hayal 眉r眉n眉 olarak bakamay谋z. Belki ilerde yanl谋艧lanacaklar ve yerlerini ba艧ka kuramlara b谋rakacaklar ama 艧u anda bunlar谋 kullanarak evrene ili艧kin baz谋 olgular谋 a莽谋klamaya 莽al谋艧makta bir sak谋nca yok. Sonu莽ta bu bir film, e臒lenceli ve ufuk a莽谋c谋 olmas谋 gerekiyor.
Kitab谋n yazar谋 Kip Thorne solucan deli臒i fikrini bilimkurguya kazand谋rmas谋yla tan谋n谋yor. 1984鈥檛e Carl Sagan鈥檃 Mesaj roman谋 i莽in verdi臒i solucan deli臒i fikri o g眉nden bu yana bilimkurgunun vazge莽ilmez unsuru haline gelmi艧tir. Gerek di臒er bilimkurgu romanlar谋nda ve filmlerinde gerekse Y谋ld谋zlararas谋鈥檔da 谋艧谋ktan h谋zl谋 seyahat i莽in solucan deli臒i kullan谋l谋r. Bir solucan deli臒i, yukar谋daki simit 枚rne臒inde oldu臒u gibi, uzayzaman d眉zleminin bir noktas谋n谋 tamamen ayr谋 bir b枚lgedeki bir di臒er noktas谋na do臒rudan ba臒layan ge莽ittir.
Ba艧ar谋l谋 y枚netmen Christopher Nolan鈥櫮眓 Warner Bros. Pictures ve Paramount Pictures鈥檒a yapt谋臒谋 gi艧e rekorlar谋 k谋ran son filmi Y谋ld谋zlararas谋 [Interstellar], bizi evrenimizin en uzak k枚艧elerine ve hatta evrenimizin 枚tesinde fizik莽ilerin 鈥測谋臒谋n鈥� ad谋n谋 verdi臒i be艧inci boyutun i莽erisine do臒ru fantastik bir yolculu臒a 莽谋kar谋yor. Y谋ld谋zlararas谋鈥檔谋n neredeyse ba艧ka bir d眉nyaya ait diyebilece臒imiz hik芒yesi ve g枚rsel efektleri, ilk fikir a艧amas谋ndan ba艧layarak filme katk谋 veren fizik莽i Kip Thorne鈥檜n da etkisiyle ger莽ek bir bilimsel 枚zellik ta艧谋yor. Thorne kara delikler, solucan delikleri, b眉k眉lm眉艧 zaman ve b眉k眉lm眉艧 uzaydan tekillikler, kuantum k眉tle莽ekim, k眉tle莽ekim sapmalar谋, be艧inci boyut, Christopher Nolan鈥櫮眓 teserakt谋na dek filmin dayand谋臒谋 bilimi ve hik芒yede ve 枚zel efektlerde oynad谋臒谋 rol眉 canl谋 bir bi莽imde a莽谋kl谋yor. YILDIZLARARASININ B陌L陌M陌鈥檔de bilimsel ger莽eklerin bilimkurgu kadar garip ve ilgi 莽ekici olabildi臒ini g枚receksiniz.
November 22, 2014
This one is a must read if Interstellar made you least bit curious about a multi-dimensional universe. The book practically enhances the movie experience by delving into the depths of the scientific concepts used in the movie, which otherwise were not discussed in detail in the movie keeping in mind the diverse audience. If you really want to tear apart the science used in Interstellar and find flaws or inconsistencies, better refer to this honest scientific explanation written by the theoretical physicist who designed this sci-fi movie's 'Sci' part. Much more credible and reasonable than BuzzFeed articles or random blogs.
April 6, 2015
This is a great resource for fans of the movie who want to know - as the title suggests - the science behind the story. It is much easier to get through than Thorne's Black Holes and Time Warps but still not for the faint of heart, I think. One of my favorite aspects of the book was that Thorne labeled each section as Truth, Educated Guess, or Speculation, and through this the reader can gain a clearer picture as to how much of the movie is scientifically plausible (and it's a lot). And I love that Thorne and the world of physics actually learned new information about black holes as a result of the graphics created for the film.
July 28, 2020
Phenomenal. Mind-boggling but easily digestible even though I'm a total layman (but aficionado) when it comes to astrophysics. It covers every piece of science that is mentioned/hinted/unsaid in Interstellar, and well beyond that. Kip Thorne, producer-consultant-Nobel-prize-winner, is amazing at talking about difficult topics in a way that is easy to follow; I鈥檒l surely check out other books from him.
Highly recommend it if you loved Interstellar and you鈥檙e curious about what actually went on behind the scenes physics-wise.
Highly recommend it if you loved Interstellar and you鈥檙e curious about what actually went on behind the scenes physics-wise.
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