Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down the Science Behind ‘Game of Thrones’’s Ice Dragon
Is Viserion breathing fire or ice?
Though the season 7 finale of HBO‘s hit series Game of Thrones has long passed, may fans are still sitting around analyzing every single detail of the previous seasons taking guesses at who will live, who will die, and who will eventually end up on the Iron Throne. Jumping in on the fun is astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, however looking more in-depth into how the science of the show works, specifically the undead Ice Dragon.
Taking to his personal Twitter account, Tyson breaks down everything from the dragon’s massive wingspans, limb movements and debunked how the White Walkers used chains to drag Viserion out of the lake. The most mind-blowing dragon specifics Tyson had to share comes way of Viserion’s show-stopping blue flame. In George R.R. Martin’s companion book A World of Ice and Fire, Martin wrote, “Whereas common dragons (if any dragon can truly be said to be common) breathe flame, ice dragons supposedly breathe cold, a chill so terrible that it can freeze a man solid in half a heartbeat.” So the main question remains: is Viserion breathing fire or ice? Take a look at Tyson’s knowledge below.
For more dragon insight, take a look at our editorial: 10 Most Notable Dragons in Popular Culture.
Everybody all caught up on #GameOfThrones? I have a comment or two, if anybody is interested…
— 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
