Inside: Interstellar travel — time travel is it fact or pure fantasy? Science has something to say about this. This post contains affiliate links. If you click, I may make some coffee money at no cost to you.
Wormhole.
Les Bossinas (Cortez III Service Corp.), Public Domain, via Wiki Commons
“We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible. And we count these moments. These moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known. We count these moments as our proudest achievements. But we lost all that. Or perhaps we’ve just forgotten that we are still pioneers. And we’ve barely begun. And that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us.” — Cooper from the movie, Interstellar
Imagine we have destroyed Earth’s capacity to sustain life. Global changes in temperature, CO2 levels and destruction of the protective ozone layer mean our food supplies are dwindling. Rainfall has become precipitously low. Destructive dust storms are the norm. If humans are to survive, we must find elsewhere to live. The movie Interstellar described just such an Earth where we had outworn our welcome. We needed to move on or die as a species. If you’d like to watch the movie yourself, you can buy it from Amazon here.
Most movies like this one are complete fantasy. Some are based loosely on science. Interstellar, I was surprised to discover, has strong scientific backing for its main plot line.[cow_johnson general_clear=”none” general_width=”300″ general_bgcolor=”#ff964a” general_font=”Geneva”]No one can deny the excitement of visiting another world. — Barney Oliver[/cow_johnson] Can we expect to pack our bags, hop on a space ship and travel to another galaxy tomorrow? No way. But some astrophysicists have theories. And those theories point to a strong possibility of interstellar travel in the future of human-kind.
A study published in the Annals of Physics hypothesizes that our whole galaxy might be a giant wormhole or space-time tunnel. Dark matter appears to be key in this hypothesis. Apparently dark matter has been mapped in the Milky Way and if that map is paired with the most recent Big Bang model of the universe along with the belief of space-time tunnels then it becomes likely our galaxy could have one of these tunnels. Calculations made by scientists including Paolo Salucci suggest these tunnels could be travelled through – just like in Interstellar!
[cow_johnson general_float=”left” general_clear=”none” general_width=”300″ general_bgcolor=”#ff964a” general_font=”Geneva”]In Einstein’s equation, time is a river. It speeds up, meanders, and slows down. The new wrinkle is that it can have whirlpools and fork into two rivers. So, if the river of time can be bent into a pretzel, create whirlpools and fork into two rivers, then time travel cannot be ruled out. — Michio Kaku[/cow_johnson]That’s a lot of guesswork, however and now wormholes are only considered a possibility. However, this hypothesis is getting significant attention. Salucci points out that dark matter was explained by a hypothetical neutralino particle which has never been detected. Salucci suggests it is time to look at alternative theories that envision dark matter without this particle. He wonders if dark matter may be ‘another dimension’ or galactic transportation system itself. This out of the box thinking may bring us closer to the interstellar travel only now possible in the movies!
Do you find the idea of interstellar travel freaking fascinating? Check out Great Courses Plus and search this title: Special Relativity and Interstellar Travel. The information is mind-blowing.
Are you a fan of space in general? Take this quiz and find out how much you know about the subject: Space Quiz: What do you know about outer space?
I’m Teresa Coppens, science geek, book nerd, educator, coffee lovin’ mom with a coconut aversion. My entire family is crazy about science including my cats! I am passionate about the weird and unusual. Here in my cabinet of science curiosities get your science geek on. Grab a cup of your favorite brew, get comfortable at Science Alcove and learn to love your inner science geek!
…need hyperluminal SPEED and TIME of the Immortals (3D Bioprinting…Telomerase…) to conquer SPACE… ((typewrite: interstellar travel constant acceleration))
Recently, I’ve begun thinking that Hollywood has some insider news with science and the government. It seems like the fantasy that comes out on the big screen is often soon followed by reality. Go figure! 😀
That’s a good thing I think. I love fantasy but it is thrilling to know someday those premises on screen may become a reality!
i love this post. fascinating to consider.
I agree. I think I’d be terrified to try if it ever became a reality in our lifetime but the brave pioneers who would be there to try…..what an amazing adventure!