Space 01
How Long Does It Take to Get to Mars? The Orbital Math
About 7 months, but why? We derive the 259-day Hohmann transfer, the 26-month launch window and why most real probes arrive in 200 to 230 days.
Space
Space 02
What Happens If You Fall Into a Black Hole? The Real Numbers
At a stellar black hole's horizon the stretch is 21 million g. At Sgr A* it is 0.0001 g. Tidal math, your clock and what outsiders see, worked out.
Space 03
How Bright Will Betelgeuse's Supernova Be? The Math
Betelgeuse's supernova should peak near magnitude -10 to -11: about 250 times Venus and a seventh of the full Moon. The magnitude math, step by step.
Space 04
How Much Energy to Destroy a Planet? Death Star Math
Blowing Earth apart takes 2.49×10³² J, 11% more than the textbook figure, or 7.5 days of the Sun's whole output. The Death Star math, layer by layer.
Space 05
Could a Nuke Stop an Asteroid? Armageddon vs DART Math
Splitting Armageddon's asteroid needs 10⁸ Tsar Bombas just to beat its own gravity. DART shows what works instead: millimetres per second, years ahead.
Space 06
Why Is the Sun's Corona Hotter Than Its Surface?
The corona is 1 to 2 million K above a 5,772 K surface. Why that breaks no law of physics, how little energy it takes, and what Parker Solar Probe has found.