Summary
A horrifying calculation has opened my eyes to anInterstellardetail that makes the Christopher Nolan movie’s depiction of time dilation even more disturbing. Often touted as one of the finest sci-fi movies of all time, and rightfully so,Christopher Nolan’s space opera,Interstellar, has several memorable moments. From Mann’s betrayal to Murph’s discovery of her father’s watch, from Cooper’s voyage down the black hole to his reunion with his daughter, I can still recall several key arcs from the film as if I watched them yesterday.
However, even to this day, one of the most scarring scenes fromInterstellarfor me is when Cooper and the crew return to their space exploration vehicle and realize they were on Miller’s planet for 23 years, four months, and eight days according to Earth time. I have seenInterstellaron multiple occasions, but it still breaks my heart when Cooper returns to Endurance and goes through the recordings his children left behind before giving up on him.Ten years afterInterstellar’s release, a calculation has helped me understand the true gravity of the scene, making it even more tragic.
Interstellar’s Time Dilation Explained: Why Time Moves Slower On Miller’s Planet
Interstellar’s depiction of time dilation on Miller’s planet encompasses complex scientific theories and terms, which require a detailed explanation.
Relative To Earth, Only 1 & A Half Hours Have Passed On Miller’s Planet Since Interstellar’s Release
7 Years On Earth Equal To Only 1 Hour On Miller’s Planet
Interstellarestablishes that due to Miller’s planet’s proximity to a supermassive black hole, Gargantua, the planet experiences extreme time dilation as the black hole creates a massive curvature in spacetime. Owing to this,seven years pass on Earth in just an hour on Miller’s planet. This explains why, even though Cooper and his crew barely spend three hours and seventeen minutes on the planet’s surface, 23 years, four months, and eight days pass on Earth by the time they return to their space exploration vehicle.
It has been almost a decade sinceInterstellar’s release. However, based on the relativity of time, approximatelya little less than 1.43 hours (1 hour and 25.8 minutes) have passed on Miller’s planet since the film’s 2014 premiere. The planet may be fictional, but it really puts things into perspective. When I look back at the last decade, I cannot help but notice how much the world and the people around me have changed. In the past 10 years, everything from a global pandemic to the Paris Agreement has happened.
Everything that has changed in the last 10 years has opened my eyes to how much Cooper and his crew must have missed out after spending only 3 hours and 17 minutes (23 years, four months, and eight days in Earth time) on Miller’s planet.
The world has also seen three Summer Olympic Games and the history-defining moment of the US legalizing same-sex marriage across all 50 states. Everything that has changed in the last ten years has opened my eyes to how much Cooper and his crew must have missed out after spending only 3 hours and 17 minutes (23 years, four months, and eight days in Earth time) on Miller’s planet. The real-life comparison underscores how Cooper must have felt after seeing over two decades of his life just flash before his eyes as he skimmed through his children’s video recordings.
Here is a more detailed calculation of the passage of time on Miller’s planet in the past 1 decade:
I Finally Understand How Cooper & The Crew Felt After Returning From Miller’s Planet
Their Sacrifice Seems Even More Tragic
Interstellar’s portrayal of the shock and despair Cooper and Brand experience after returning to the space vehicle could not have been more perfect. The poignance with which Matthew McConaughey captures Cooper’s emotions still makes me tear up every time I rewatch the scene where he watches Murph’s video recordings. However, I believeI never truly understood the gravity of how much Cooper and his crew had lostduring their brief but disastrous visit to Miller’s planet.
I am sure ten years from now, two decades after Interstellar’s 2014 release, I will look back and have even better insights into the depth of their sacrifice.
A decade afterInterstellar’s release, I empathize with Cooper and his team of astronauts more than ever because I understand the heft of their sacrifice. The fact that they gave up more than two precious decades of their lives and achieved nothing makes the scene even more heartbreaking. I am sure ten years from now, two decades afterInterstellar’s 2014 release, I will look back and have even better insights into the depth of their sacrifice. This makes me appreciate Christopher Nolan’sInterstellareven more because it highlights how the film will only get better for me the more I watch it in the future.
Interstellar
From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.
