The astrophysics of Project Hail Mary #shorts
Mar 21, 2026•Channel
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Video Overview
Video Details
Published3 months ago
Duration1:33
Video IDcsuti24ZWx8
Languageen-GB
CategoryScience & Technology
PrivacyPublic
Made for KidsNo
Video TypeYouTube Short
Performance Metrics
Views25.7K
Likes1.4K
Comments32
Engagement Rate5.71%
Likes per 100 views5.58
Comments per 1K views1.24
Description
How much of the science in Project Hail Mary is actually possible? Because this story is packed with real science! I got to sit down with Ryan Gosling and author Andy Weir to chat about how the science in Project Hail Mary (one of the most scientifically ambitious sci-fi stories ever written) was translated from the book to the big screen. Plus along with Andy Weir and Ryan Gosling, I also sat down with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller about how you visually communicate difficult concepts like relativity on screen, whilst keeping the human story at the heart. It’s got alien life, interstellar travel, astrophysics, molecular biology and more, but how much of the science in Project Hail Mary works in the real Universe? In this video we're going to separate the real physics from where the story naturally has to lean into the fiction side of sci-fi. There will be mild spoilers but nothing that hasn't already been revealed in the trailers... #projecthailmary #ryangosling #andyweir @sonypicsUK @AmazonMGMStudios @sonypictures
👩🏽💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about black holes, cosmology, dark matter, the early universe, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the biggest unsolved mysteries in astrophysics. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.
http://drbecky.uk.com