Some Key Details About Miller's Planet
1- Time dilation, one of the most important characteristics of Miller's planet, is its proximity to the black hole Gargantua, which causes an extreme time dilation effect on the planet and its orbit. This is why the Endurance does not actually orbit the planet but performs a wider orbit around the black hole while being parallel to the planet. This is precisely why Dr. Romley does not feel the effects of time dilation while waiting for his fellow crew members. The time dilation is due to the extreme gravitational pull from the black hole. Anything trapped under the black hole's gravity will experience time dilation, and because Miller's planet is the closest planet to Gargantua, it has an extreme time dilation effect, causing time to pass much more quickly than outside the gravitational field.
Dr. Mann also orbits Gargantua but is much farther away and
experiences no time dilation compared to Miller's planet. Kip Thorne was hired
by Christopher Nolan as a scientific advisor for the film, and he provides
complex equations that worked out to be so that one hour spent on Miller's
planet meant seven years outside the gravitational pull. For comparison, the
film came out nine years ago, meaning that only a little over an hour would
have occurred on the fictional planet since the film's release.
This is not to say that anybody who spends too long on the
planet would actually age much slower compared to their counterparts elsewhere.
They would not actually feel the effects of aging slower. Time spent on
Miller's planet feels the same, but the sheer gravitational pull from the black
hole simply stretches time for living organisms without them actually feeling
any physical effects. The planet is so close to the black hole that it somehow
questions.
Q-How it has not actually fallen into the black hole itself?
One of the speculative reasons for this is that Kip Thorne
made sure that Gargantua was a rapidly spinning black hole. The physics of
rotating black holes differ from non-rotating ones. The sheer speed of
Gargantua's rotation means that there is a single stable orbit just outside of
Gargantua's event horizon where gravity and the centrifugal force created by
the spinning black hole actually balance out. This particular stable area is
exactly where Miller's Planet resides.
2- Climate, the daylight you see on the planet could actually be coming from multiple different sources. One of those sources would actually be from the black hole itself. You might ask, "How can a black hole emit light? I mean, it's literally called a black hole." This is because Gargantua's accretion disc actually contains dust and gases reaching the temperature of our sun's surface. This gives off light and heat to Gargantua's planets, including Miller's Planet.
Another source for the light seen on the planet could
actually be coming from another star. During the film, Cooper mentions a
neutron star, saying, "Look, I could swing around that neutron star."
A neutron star is a celestial object of very small radius and very high
density, composed predominantly of closely packed neutrons. They give off very
faint light compared to other stars, but this neutron star is close enough to Miller's
Planet that its light would be seen from planetside.
3-The Planet's Surface has no visible signs of dry
land and is globally covered in an ocean with massive tidal waves reaching
hundreds of feet. Why exactly do these massive waves exist? The leading theory
is that they are caused by the planet's close orbit around the black hole. The
extreme gravitational pull is so strong that it generates humongous swells of
water. The same phenomenon also occurs on Earth, although with much less
dramatic effect. The tides on Earth are the result of the combined
gravitational attraction of the Earth and the Moon. The Moon pulls on the
Earth's mantle and ocean to create tidal forces. However, the effect on
Miller's planet is much more severe, and the waves are the size of mountains
capable of carrying apart any human-made structure on a planet's surface.
4- The Shallow Ocean. The entire surface of Miller's
planet is covered by an ocean that is only a few meters deep at certain parts.
The ocean is so shallow in these areas that the Ranger Space Shuttle is able to
land directly on it, and the crew members are able to wade through the water as
if they were on a beach.
5-Planet's Atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is not actually shown in great detail in the film, but it is likely similar to Earth's, given that it is able to support an ocean and the weather conditions observed in the film. However, the atmosphere may be more turbulent than Earth's due to extreme tidal forces caused by the black hole. Dr. Amelia Brand describes the planet as "Terra" in accordance with the data findings of Dr. Laura Miller. The crew members do not actually take off their helmets during their brief stay, suggesting that the air is not breathable. We do not know exactly what the air composition is, but it is one that is toxic to humans.
6-Gravity, which is described at a punishing 130
percent compared to Earth's standard. That means someone like you or me would
weigh 30% more than they normally do, making it extremely difficult to move
around. This partly explains why Brand and Doyle were so slow to flounder
through the shallow water and possibly why Dr. Brandt could not stand up from
under the equipment, which would also weigh 30% more on the planet.
Overall, Miller's planet is a harsh and inhospitable environment where the time dilation effects make it an extremely dangerous place for human exploration. The planet contains water, hydrocarbons, and organics, but no life forms have been discovered, at least none that have been found. Its role in the film highlights the challenges and dangers of interstellar travel and emphasizes the significance of careful planning and preparation in any such missions.