Scientific inaccuracies in Alien

Started by The Cruentus, Feb 05, 2021, 02:17:19 PM

Author
Scientific inaccuracies in Alien (Read 32,223 times)

SM

SM

#105
Weyland-Yutani Report.


426Buddy

426Buddy

#107
Quote from: SM on Feb 07, 2021, 08:40:35 PM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Feb 07, 2021, 08:30:43 PM
How big is Planet 4?

2350 km

This series has a thing for small planets.

SM

SM

#108
Big things start on small planets.

kwisatz

kwisatz

#109
Quote from: 426Buddy on Feb 07, 2021, 09:47:20 PM
Quote from: SM on Feb 07, 2021, 08:40:35 PM
Quote from: 426Buddy on Feb 07, 2021, 08:30:43 PM
How big is Planet 4?

2350 km

This series has a thing for small planets.

To compensate for the giant dicks.

[cancerblack]


Quote from: SM on Feb 07, 2021, 09:49:48 PM
Big things start on small planets.

I've been snookered.


Kradan


Xenomrph


SM


Local Trouble

Yep.  Zoom in and it's right there on the display.


426Buddy

426Buddy

#116
So scientifically speaking, is 2350 km just as impossible as 1200 km or is it a more reasonable size?

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#117
Quote from: 426Buddy on Feb 07, 2021, 10:22:25 PM
So scientifically speaking, is 2350 km just as impossible as 1200 km or is it a more reasonable size?
Still pretty darn impossible for a planet with an earth-like gravity and atmosphere. It's like 1/5 the size of Earth.

Edit— if the diameter in that screenshot is right, then the mass and density can't be right based on what we see in the movie.

Local Trouble

Local Trouble

#118
After delving into it a little more, I think Xenomrph is exaggerating the impossibility of it.  A planet composed largely of osmium could be around the size of LV-426 and still have near-Earth gravity.

https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/2315/how-small-can-a-planet-be-and-still-have-earth-like-gravity

Posit an even heavier element not found on Earth, but maybe in another star system and there you go.  As I recall, the novelization even makes mention of Dallas worrying that Parker and Brett would go venturing off in search of heavy metals.

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#119
Quote from: Local Trouble on Feb 07, 2021, 10:27:29 PM
After delving into it a little more, I think Xenomrph is exaggerating the impossibility of it.  A planet composed largely of osmium could be around the size of LV-426 and still have near-Earth gravity.

https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/2315/how-small-can-a-planet-be-and-still-have-earth-like-gravity

Posit an even heavier element not found on Earth, but maybe in another star system and there you go.  As I recall, the novelization even makes mention of Dallas worrying that Parker and Brett would go venturing off in search of heavy metals.
The problem is it would need to be entirely made of this miracle element that doesn't exist naturally, and chemistry has a pretty good idea of what's possible. You wouldn't be able to mine it, it would be radioactively unstable, etc.

Not to mention, finding such a miracle element (let alone a stable planet entirely made of the stuff) would be the scientific find of the century on par with something like Solaris.

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