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Home / Entertainment

Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down science behind Game of Thrones

NZ Herald
25 Sep, 2017 07:45 PM2 mins to read

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Neil deGrasse Tyson said the white walker dragon's blue fire would be three times hotter than red fire. Photo / HBO

Neil deGrasse Tyson said the white walker dragon's blue fire would be three times hotter than red fire. Photo / HBO

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is known for debunking the warped physics in films and television shows - and now he's taken on Game of Thrones.

According to Tyson, the show nailed certain details about the aerodynamics of dragons.

But not everything was so good: those chains used to lug Viserion's dead body out of a frozen lake were definitely completely ridiculous.

Tyson, who brought his Cosmic Perspective tour to Auckland in July, broke down the details in a series of tweets.

Everybody all caught up on #GameOfThrones? I have a comment or two, if anybody is interested…

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017
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I thought the frozen dead dudes couldn’t swim, but aside from that…

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

Bad Physics in #GameOfThrones: Pulling a dragon out of a lake? Chains need to be straight, and not curve over hill and dale. pic.twitter.com/VIJlIuDz3L

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

Good Bio-Physics in #GameOfThrones: The Dragon Wingspans are sensibly large, as their body weight would require for flight. pic.twitter.com/gzD5wI38u5

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

The sensibly large wingspan of Dragons in #GameOfThrones contrasts with aerodynamically useless wings of Renaissance cherubs. pic.twitter.com/I8L8ILBtUu

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

Good Biology in #GameOfThrones: As in #LordOfTheRings, Dragons forfeited their forelimbs to make wings, like birds & bats. pic.twitter.com/pguBe6rosQ

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

Intriguing Thermal Physics in #GameOfThrones: BlueDragon breath would be at least a factor of 3X hotter than RedDragon breath pic.twitter.com/RvpBkqJ1sw

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 24, 2017

Tyson has previously debunked a number of holes in space films such as Interstellar, Gravity and The Martian.

Game of Thrones' eighth and final season is expected to return in late 2018 or early 2019.

Discover more

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14 Sep 11:10 PM
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GoT: Behind Arya and Brienne's amazing fight scene

21 Sep 03:00 AM
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Thrones stars confirm engagement

27 Sep 08:15 PM
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