Right, a boomerang is like a spinning ripple that keeps nudging itself back, but it’s really all about conservation of angular momentum, not gravity. Still, imagining it as a photon in a mirror makes the idea sparkle—let’s break it down.

It’s like a little vortex engine that’s already been tuned to a particular harmonic. The air pushes harder on one wing, creating a pressure gradient that pulls the whole thing on a curved path. Think of it as a tiny energy shuttle that’s got a preset route in its geometry, so when you release it it’s like launching a satellite that’s already plotted its orbit. The trick is to spin it just right—too slow and it drifts, too fast and it just flies straight. If you can nail that sweet spot, you’ve got a little gravity‑free elevator that brings itself home.