Poinsot’s Paper Spaceship #2 – Zeppelin: Unstable Rotation About the Intermediate Axis.

Geometric drawing of an ellipsoid intersecting a sphere, inspired by Louis Poinsot's geometric theory of the rotation of rigid bodies. The angular momentum sphere's radius is equal to the intermediate axis of the energy ellipsoid, indicating unstable rotation about the intermediate axis. Orthographic projection showing all three straight-on views. Lines used to create a tesselation of the drawing surface, colored in the style of stained glass. Watercolor pencils on 21cmx21cm watercolor paper. By elkement 2025.

Subtitle: Why UFOs are more stable than zeppelins. This UFO… … tells a story of rotation. The yellow ellipsoid encapsulates the main features of a rotating rigid body: Its moments of inertia, that is: how masses are distributed in relation to three principal axes. The moment of inertia is larger, if more mass is positioned … Continue reading Poinsot’s Paper Spaceship #2 – Zeppelin: Unstable Rotation About the Intermediate Axis.