A movie about space couldn’t theaters without America’s most famous astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, fact checking it. “Gravity” is the No. 1 movie in America, but Tyson highlighted every inaccuracy in the film via Twitter on Sunday.
Below are all the things Tyson found factually inaccurate, using the intro “Mysteries of #Gravity” in his tweets.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Astronaut Clooney informs medical doctor Bullock what happens medically during oxygen deprivation.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 7, 2013.
“An Orbit is a continual state of free fall, but while moving so fast sideways that the surface curves away at the same rate.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 7, 2013.
“Fall towards Earth. Fall towards the Moon. Fall towards Mars. Fall towards anywhere at all, you’ll be weightless in zero-G
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 7, 2013.
“Earth’s gravity extends to infinity. To experience “zero-G” simply requires you move through space without rockets firing.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 7, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Nearly all satellites orbit Earth west to east yet all satellite debris portrayed orbited east to west
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Why Bullock’s hair, in otherwise convincing zero-G scenes, did not float freely on her head.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Why anyone is impressed with a zero-G film 45 years after being impressed with “2001:A Space Odyssey”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: When Clooney releases Bullock’s tether, he drifts away. In zero-G a single tug brings them together.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: How Hubble (350mi up) ISS (230mi up) & a Chinese Space Station are all in sight lines of one another.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Why Bullock, a medical Doctor, is servicing the Hubble Space Telescope.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
Tyson’s reaction to the film wasn’t all negative. He did admit that the main event, which sets things off, could actually happen, adding that he really “enjoyed’ the film despite its factual inconsistencies.
“The film #Gravity depicts a scenario of catastrophic satellite destruction that can actually happen.
“My Tweets hardly ever convey opinion. Mostly perspectives on the world. But if you must know, I enjoyed #Gravity very much.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 7, 2013.
“Mysteries of #Gravity: Why we enjoy a SciFi film set in make-believe space more than we enjoy actual people set in real space
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 6, 2013.
