Ever Wondered The Science Behind These Famous ‘Doomsday’ Movies?
The climate change satire, Don’t Look Up is officially a record breaker: It has become the title attracting most viewing hours for a movie in a single week in Netflix’s history. So let’s know more about the science behind such doomsday movies; How they make us gripped to our seats, and make us believe that the scenarios in the films could actually happen in real life!
1. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
About the film: Dennis Quaid plays Jack, a climatologist who predicts a sudden new ice age, but isn’t believed by any climate officer.
Science behind it: The film depicts what would happen if the North Atlantic Ocean or Thermohaline Circulation were to be disrupted. A 2015 study showed that global warming has caused this circulation to weaken by 20% over the last 200 years. This could trigger cooling in the North Atlantic, Europe, and North America.
2.Independence Day (1996)
About the film: Jeff Goldblum is a satellite whiz who tries to warn the president that the extraterrestrials are about to launch an attack on Earth.
Science behind it: In 2017 an unusual object was spotted by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope. It followed a straight line instead of the typical elliptical path around the Sun.
Concluded to be coming from outside the solar system, it was named Oumuamua. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb even called it an alien spacecraft. In 2019, researcher Jean-Pierre speculated that while aliens have reached Earth, they haven’t contacted us as, “it would be culturally disruptive for us to know about them.”
3. 2012 (2009)
About the film: World leaders begin secret preparations for the survival of selected members of society, after they get to know the world will end in 2012.
Science behind it: The Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predicted the end of the world in 2012. Infacr in 2012, underwater archaeologist Ballard examined the coastline off of Turkey and the carbon dating of shells showed an enormous flood occurred around 5,000 BCE. A story similar to ‘The Great Flood’ appears in an early odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh.
4. Moonfall (2022)
About the film: As per distributor Lionsgate, A mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling to us. NASA executive Jo Fowler played by Halle Berry, tries to save humanity.
Science behind it: The Moon orbits Earth at an average distance of 384,400 km, and is responsible for tides on it. If the Moon falls towards us, these same tidal forces would act on buildings too, and wipe us out.
5. Don’t Look Up
About the film: Two low-key level astronomers go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth, and highlights the common people’s ignorance on scientific facts in the age of social media, while being misled by worldwide politicians.
Science behind it: Filmmaker Adam McKay based this movie on the experiences of well-known astronomer Dr. Amy Mainzer. As principal investigator of NASA’s NEOWISE mission (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer), she has overseen the largest space-based asteroid-hunting project in history. A comet named after the mission, Comet NEOWISE, was discovered by astronomers who work with the spacecraft in March of 2020.
