The black hole “joke” from Futurama Season 12 is surprisingly accurate to actual scientific research

Futurama Season 12, episode 9, “The Futurama Mystery Library,” features an interesting moment involving a black hole that may seem like it was simply included for comedic purposes, but it’s also surprisingly informative. It is certainly the most different of all these Futurama Season 12 episodes so far, but the detective story/science crossover stories aren’t completely out of character in the context of the show’s story. The Futurama Cast is required to voice different versions of their established characters under different names in what are seemingly non-canonical stories.

Matt Groening’s animated sitcom incorporates some overused sci-fi tropes and has done since its beginning in 1999. Although some moments use sci-fi trends in a particularly goofy way, the writers do not always mask the scenes in question with too much humor. It may seem like though Futurama is always taking scientific liberties In the interest of comedy, but this is not always the case – as proven by several lines of dialogue in “The Futurama Mystery Library.”

Leela is heard from inside the black hole in Futurama season 12, episode 9 is based on real science

Some sound can actually escape a black hole

This episode consists of three spoofs that reimagine famous detective franchises. The first short story is a spin on the Nancy Drew stories, with Leela in the “title role” as Nancy Drew. When Lancey is trapped in a black hole, Tom Snift/Professor Farnsworth explains that “Everything that falls in can never escape. It doesn’t even light up.” Farnsworth immediately returns when Amy Wong’s new character hears Lancey’s cries for helpadding on, “A little health can get out. But that’s it!“The professor’s hasty correction is certainly consistent with his usual character, but both of his statements are factually correct.

Now, the scene is not entirely accurate. While a black hole has been recorded emitting noise, it is too low to be heard by the human ear. According to NASARipples from the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster can be translated into a tone “57 octaves below middle C.” So, while Lancey’s howler wouldn’t be audible to her friends outside the black hole, the moment is based on a very real scientific discovery. Interestingly, a version of NASA’s sonification of a black hole’s sound can also be heard while Lancey is trapped.

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s New Cameo Makes Futurama Season 12’s Astrophysics Jokes Even Better

Tyson’s Big Bang joke is comedically simple

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the world’s authorities on astrophysics. It is a broad field of scientific research, but it encompasses black holes. Tyson’s scene in “The Futurama Mystery Library” comes near the end of the episode and in a completely different story to the one featuring the black hole. His entire manner during the comedy sequence is a simplistic suggestion of the Big Bang as an explanation for Bender’s seemingly unrelated mystery. It’s very funny, and the presence of an expert like Neil deGrasse Tyson in the same episode as the black hole moment is pretty poetic.

Tyson has appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in several movies and television shows. He’s voiced himself in animated projects as well as live action ones. His latest guest spot in the sci-fi sitcom adds him to the list of cameos by real scientists in Futurama. He appeared in A Futurama– Adjacent animation beforeBut never in the show proper before now. Other Tyson appearances include episodes of Stargate: Atlantis, Gravity fallsAnd Brooklyn no-no.

Futurama has a reputation for abiding by real scientific principles

The Futurama writing staff are incredibly qualified to write convincing sci-fi storylines

The black hole gag in “The Futurama Mystery Library” isn’t the first time in the show’s history that it has only gently tweaked scientific facts to make them into science-fiction. Of course, the show doesn’t shy away from just making things up either, but it doesn’t always do that. Talk to Slate, Futurama Writer and producer Patric M. Verrone discusses the impressive qualifications boasted by those penning the scripts. It may sound like overkill for a sitcom, but the collection of academics writing the stories has resulted in some truly compelling adventures and concepts.

“[The writing staff] Including three PhDs, seven master’s degrees, and more than half a century of Harvard education. We’re easily the most over-dedicated cartoon writers in history, earning critical acclaim, multiple Emmy Awards, and a worldwide nerd fan base, but we’re not smart enough to figure out how to avoid cancellation.

Just as the black hole joke wasn’t the show’s first joke based on actual science, it would be incredibly surprising if it was also its last. actually, Futurama It probably couldn’t have been made if it didn’t always have one eye on the laws of physics which exist in reality, while the other is focused on the absurdist approach of the animated sitcom to storytelling. so, Futurama Will quietly continue to establish the complex formulas for simple moments of hidden comedy.

Sources: NASA, Slate