Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, called Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, but what about sunburnt Mother of Dragons?
In my latest Because Science, I’m taking another fascinating fan question that appears simple on its face, but quickly leads down a rabbit hole of physics. As book readers know (and can’t stop complaining about), Daenerys isn’t immune to fire. It was just that one time and because magic. However, on Game of Thrones the HBO show, it is implied that no flame can burn her, as she has emerged naked and unscathed from not one but two infernos. So, if her skin can withstand that, does that mean she can’t get a burn from the Sun?
That depends. What is it about fire that burns you? Again, it sounds simple, but it’s deceptively complicated. Getting burned by fire is energy transfer on a few scales. Heat can enter your skin through radiation, convection, and conduction. But the a star millions of miles away is very different from a funeral pyre. Do sunburns burn in the same way fire does? Watch the video above to find out!
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