Picture this: It's an ordinary day - apart from that piece of comet hurtling toward Earth. But no big deal. Scientists say it will end up somewhere far away in the Atlantic.
But when you meet up with friends to watch the unique event on TV, awe quickly turns to horror. The fragment unexpectedly changes trajectory, burning up central Florida and sending out shockwaves 1,500 miles away.
As if that wasn't enough, scientists have just determined that an even larger space rock will wipe out most of humanity in two days. It's the stuff of nightmares - and also the premise behind the thriller.Greenland, streaming now on HBO Max.
GreenlandSterneGerard Butler as John Garrity, an engineer who must race against time to get his family to a military bunker in Greenland before the comet's largest fragment causes an extinction-level event.
Part of the film's horror comes from its seemingly plausible scenario: How could we protect ourselves - and our families - if a planet-destroying comet really did hit Earth?
EmGreenland, a family runs to the shrine.
Should we really be worried about a planet-destroying comet hitting Earth in our lifetime? Is this type of comet a real threat that NASA is seriously considering?
AccordinglyPaulo Byrne, Associate Professor of Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, we still don't have to build our bunkers - even if humanity isn't squeaky clean.
"Some of the parts that are happening aren't all that unrealistic," Byrne says.Turning back. "But is the scenario likely even in the short term? NO."
What is a "planet killer" comet?
The film's tagline describes the fragments of the comet known as Clarke as "planet killers". It appeared suddenly and from "another solar system".
That's pretty unrealistic, Byrne says. are astronomersvery goodwhile trackingdragoneasteroids- You wouldn't be surprised if one suddenly showed up. For example, earlier this year NASA scientists concluded that it was unlikelyAsteroid Bennuwill hit the earth in the nextseveral hundredYears.
Indeed, says Byrnethe wayThe comet crashes into Earth in fragmentsGreenlandit's reasonably realistic.
"Comments can arrive in one piece or break up, it really depends on the nature of the comet," Byrne says.
But the two-day lag between the smaller and larger fragment killing the planet is unlikely to occur, he adds. Instead, it feels more like a plot device to add dramatic tension to the film.
“Is what happens in the film realistic? No, it's not," says Byrne. "It's not clear why these chunks hit Earth over the course of several days." The only way this kind of sustained impact could occur would be if the fragments actually orbited the Earth instead of just passing through its atmosphere.
An object -- like a comet -- entering Earth's atmosphere would have to travel at least 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) per second to overcome Earth's escape velocity and reach the planet, Byrne says.
Other factors, such as the comet's energy and size, are likely more important than speed when determining whether an object will be a "planet killer."
"You could have an object that's moving at 11 kilometers per second and it could do a lot more damage than an object that's moving at 20 kilometers per second - if the slower object is much more massive," Byrne says.
While the initial fragment that destroys Tampa is inGreenlandis the size of a football field, Byrne says there are factors beyond size at play. The asteroid thathelped killMost dinosaurs were so devastating not only because of their size - 6 miles in diameter - but because they struck a certain area of the Yucatan Peninsula and released an enormous amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Can a comet hit the earth - and would we survive?
Inevitably, a comet will almost certainly hit Earth. Whether this will happen in our lifetime is uncertain.
"It's inevitable that a comet will hit, but when and how big it will be is unclear," says Byrne.
Over a period of perhaps a million years, a comet will become more likely to hit Earth. But since that's beyond the scope of our lives, Byrne says that anyone reading this article shouldn't worry about a comet killing the planet anytime soon.
"The odds of anything hitting us to worry about -- something that would destroy the planet within the next 100 years -- are extremely slim," Byrne says.
But let's assume this unlikely scenario occurs and a massive comethe doeshit the earth.
In this case, using a bunker in a remote area to avoid the comet's immediate impact is a pretty good plan, Byrne says - although he says it's unclear why the film is set in the bunker in Greenland and not , say, in Siberia.
If you don't have access to a bunker - and if the comet's impact is limited to only part of the planet - it's technically possible that you too could survive by boarding a plane and flying to a safe place.
"If it was small enough to just kill a town, you wouldn't have to go anywhere and you wouldn't even feel it," Byrne says.
A comet the size of the asteroid that likely killed the dinosaurs might not kill all of humanity today, but it would "set civilization back a long time ago," says Byrne, not to mention widespread famine , potentially killing billions and making it impossible for society to function. maintain.
The reality is that most people will not have access to a military bunker like John Garrity, nor will we be wealthy enough to fly a private jet. As always, even in more normal natural disasters such as hurricanes or wildfires, it is the poorest among us who are most at risk.
Can we prevent a comet from hitting Earth?
Absolutely, says Byrne, but we need enough advance notice to anticipate the comet's arrival.
Given enough time, scientists can predict their general path and approach - certainly long before the scientists are thereGreenland. Even a few weeks' worth of observations can help estimate a fragment's path, Byrne explains.
Congress is also asking NASA for a definitioneach near-Earth object 140 metersDiameter or larger above Earth, which helps track near-Earth objects that can be potentially dangerous.
NASA took this precaution a step further with the development of theDouble Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)). NASA's website describes the program as a "test of planetary defense technologies to prevent a dangerous asteroid from impacting Earth." The DART spacecraft is scheduled to launch sometime after November 24, 2021.
Meanwhile, blowing up a comet or an asteroid fragment with nuclear weapons - the plot of another science fiction epic,Armageddon— is “absurd” according to Byrne, “but there are possible technological approaches that we could use to redirect the trajectories” of these space objects.
These technologies include:
- Using the "gravity" of a small satellite orbiting the comet
- Paint the face of a comet or asteroid with white paint that would reflect sunlight and create momentum that would alter the comet's trajectory.
But the film's time lag before Clarke's planet-destroying fragment hits - 48 hours - is not nearly enough time to stop a comet from destroying itself. If we were really surprised by a comet of this magnitude, we wouldn't stand a chance.
"The bottom line is that we have to see these things coming," Byrne says.
role scienceIt is aturning backSeries that reveal the true (and false) science behind your favorite movies and series.
Greenlandis broadcast nowna HBO Max.
FAQs
What movie on HBO is about the apocalypse? ›
“The Last of Us” is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2033, 20 years after a fungus outbreak.
What is the new disaster movie on HBO Max? ›Released in early 2022 to a lackluster box office and even worse reviews, Moonfall is finally streaming on HBO Max — and it might just be the most underrated sci-fi movie of the century. Here's why you owe it to yourself to give Roland Emmerich's most recent apocalypse epic a try.
What is the movie on HBO Max about a meteor? ›Deep Impact (HBO):
The apocalypse arrives in the form of an Everest-sized comet that's headed straight for Earth in this gripping disaster epic.
Armageddon
Released just weeks after Deep Impact, this movie is probably the most famous among space buffs in terms of 'worlds colliding' movies. To stop a huge asteroid from hitting Earth, NASA sends a bunch of oil drillers (led by Bruce Willis and a very young Ben Affleck) to intercept the comet and try to divert it.
- The Road (2009) ...
- Children of Men (2006) ...
- 28 Days Later (2002) & 28 Weeks Later (2007) ...
- I Am Legend (2007) ...
- A Quiet Place (2018) & A Quiet Place Part II (2020) ...
- Zombieland (2009) & Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) ...
- Living Dead franchise (1968-2009)
The HBO Max original series “The Last of Us” recorded a 22% uptick in initial second-episode viewership to 5.7 million, from 4.7 million during the premiere episode of the post-apocalyptic survival series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, according to new Nielsen data.
What is the movie about the tsunami on HBO? ›Tsunami, The Aftermath Part 1 (HBO):
HBO Films' miniseries event that focuses on the aftermath of the tsunami that devastated the coast of Thailand in late 2004.
This is the world of In Memoriam, a new drama in development at HBO Max. The series comes from rising British playwright Charley Miles and Mr Robot director Niels Arden Oplev.
What is the new dystopian series on HBO? ›'The Last of Us' creates a dystopian landscape that feels human — and hopeful HBO's new show, which draws from a video game of the same name, is replete with apocalyptic landscapes and zombies. But what makes the series truly groundbreaking is the emotion that runs throughout.
What is the movie about the asteroid hitting Manhattan? ›Both films were similarly received by critics, with Armageddon scoring 38% and Deep Impact scoring 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. Deep Impact grossed over $349 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget. It was the final film by cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann, who died before the film's release.
What is the movie meteor Apocalypse about? ›
How big was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? ›When the 6-mile-wide asteroid that led to dinosaur extinction hit Earth 66 million years ago, the impact also triggered a “mega-earthquake” that lasted weeks to months, new evidence suggests.
What is the new Netflix show about an asteroid hitting Earth? ›This may feel extra ominous given the events in the recent Netflix film Don't Look Up, in which the Earth is threatened by a “planet killer” asteroid. But how worried should we really be — and what would happen if such a body actually hit us?
What movie destroys an asteroid? ›Box office. Armageddon was released on July 1, 1998 in 3,127 theaters in the United States and Canada. It ranked first at the box office with an opening weekend gross of $36 million, combined with $54.2 million from its first five days.
What movie is Leonardo DiCaprio in about the asteroid hitting Earth? ›As a planet-killing comet hurtles towards Earth in the film Don't Look Up, scientists Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio scramble to get the world to take the threat seriously.
What is the scariest movies of all time scientifically? ›- Insidious (2011)
- The Conjuring (2013)
- Hereditary (2018)
- Terrified (2017)
- It Follows (2014)
- Dashcam (2021)
- A Quiet Place II (2020)
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
1. The Exorcist (1973)
What is the movie about zombies taking over the world? ›Day of the Dead (1985)
George Romero's third zombie movie continues the societal collapse seen in Dawn of the Dead: the zombies expanded past the US and have taken over the whole world. They outnumber humans 400,000 to 1.
What is happening? Yes and no. Warner Bros. Discovery isn't getting out of the streaming game, and there will continue to be a service that blends everything that airs on HBO's cable network with a broader mix of content from the WBD library (everything from Friends to Casablanca).
What are the three great horror movies that HBO Max just got? ›Among the films that were added to HBO Max today is the classic found-footage movie The Blair Witch Project (1999), and Rob Zombie's pair of backwoods horror movies House of 1,000 Corpses and its sequel The Devil's Rejects.
What reality show is about after the apocalypse? ›
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
What movies on HBO Max are about tsunamis? ›The Impossible (HBO):
The true story of one family's fight for survival after a devastating tsunami strikes Thailand in 2004.
The Impossible was inspired by the real story of María Belón, who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in Khao Lak, Thailand with her husband Enrique and three kids (Lucas, Simón, and Tomás). For the Tom Holland-starring movie, the real María reportedly worked directly with screenwriter Sergio G.
What is the next dystopian series on HBO 2023? ›HBO's adaptation of the brutal, post-apocalyptic video game pushes beyond its creators' wildest nightmares.
What is the HBO show about a pandemic? ›Directed by acclaimed journalist and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker David France (Welcome to Chechnya), How to Survive a Pandemic takes an inside look at the historic, multi-national race to research, develop, regulate, and roll out COVID-19 vaccines in the war against the coronavirus pandemic.
What is the new show about a pandemic? ›HBO's 'The Last of Us' Is the Pandemic Show You'll Want to Catch - Television - Haaretz.com.
What is the new dystopian series on Amazon Prime? ›Amazon's new sci-fi series “The Peripheral” is full of virtual reality, humanoid robots, dystopian visions of the future, and cracking action.
What is the new HBO series about aliens? ›Raised by Wolves is an American science fiction drama television series created by Aaron Guzikowski that premiered on HBO Max on September 3, 2020.
What is the dystopian woman TV show? ›Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.
Is there a movie about the atomic bomb? ›
Get ready to stare into the sun. A full-length trailer for Oppenheimer makes clear that Christopher Nolan's upcoming film will gaze into the cosmic energy of nuclear fission as it tells the story of the invention of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as J.
What is a planet killer asteroid? ›"Planet killer" asteroids are space rocks that are big enough to cause a global mass extinction event, through the chucking up of dust into the upper atmosphere and the blotting out of the sun's light, if they were to smash into Earth.
What is the new asteroid movie called? ›A scientist races the clock in an attempt to save Earth from a series of deadly meteor attacks.
What is the new movie about the Earth being destroyed? ›...
| 3022 | |
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| Produced by | John Suits |
| Starring | Omar Epps Kate Walsh Miranda Cosgrove Angus Macfadyen |
| Music by | Average Joes Entertainment |
'Hearts of Darkness' isn't just a well-made documentary, it also provides a fascinating insight into the making of 'Apocalypse Now.
What is the parody movie about Apocalypse Now? ›Porklips Now is a short, low budget parody film, made in 1980 by the American director Ernie Fosselius, based on the 1979 motion picture Apocalypse Now.
How likely is Earth to get hit by an asteroid? ›Asteroids with a 1 km (0.62 mi) diameter strike Earth every 500,000 years on average. Large collisions – with 5 km (3 mi) objects – happen approximately once every twenty million years.
Could humans survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs? ›Researchers say the event gives us clues as to whether modern humans could survive a dinosaur-size cataclysm today. The answer is yes, but it would be difficult.
How much damage would a 1 mile wide asteroid do? ›If a mile-wide asteroid hit Earth, it would strike the planet's surface at about 30,000 miles per hour (48,280 kilometers per hour). An asteroid that big traveling at that speed has the energy roughly equal to a 1 million-megaton bomb. It's difficult to imagine 1 million megatons, so let's try some smaller sizes.
What movie is about the production Apocalypse Now? ›Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a 1991 American documentary film about the production of Apocalypse Now, the 1979 Vietnam War epic directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
What is the horror movie about the biblical apocalypse? ›
The Remaining is a 2014 American apocalyptic horror film directed by Casey La Scala, who co-wrote the script with Chris Dowling.
What is the new zombie movie on HBO? ›HBO's high-gloss zombie thriller “The Last of Us,” beginning on Sunday, offers a biological twist on its cataclysm. An ophiocordyceps fungus, akin to the real-life one that ghoulishly takes over the bodies of ants, mutates to infest humans, turning civilization into a global mushroom farm.
What is the best Apocalypse Now movie? ›Just as the original theatrical version is regarded as the best cut of Apocalypse Now, Apocalypse Now Redux is generally accepted as the worst. The film still has many strengths, and it does add interesting context to the well-known scenes and story of its predecessor.
What is the post-apocalyptic bug movie? ›A slacker awakes to find himself weak and wrapped in a webbing; after realizing that the world has been taken over by giant alien insects, he wakes a ragtag group of strangers and together t... Read all.
What is the scariest horror movie in existence? ›- The Exorcist (1973)
- Hereditary (2018)
- The Conjuring (2013)
- The Shining (1980)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
- The Ring (2002)
- Halloween (1978)
- Sinister (2012)
Legion is about the apocalypse and one fallen angel who tries to save the last hope for humanity. With such a high concept, it's weird how it's actually taking place in a rather constrained space : a truck diner lost in an American desert.
Where is the apocalypse mentioned in the Bible? ›The sole clear case in the Jewish Bible (Old Testament) is chapters 7-12 of the Book of Daniel, but there are many examples from non-canonical Jewish works; the Book of Revelation is the only apocalypse in the New Testament, but passages reflecting the genre are to be found in the gospels and in nearly all the genuine ...
Why was Apocalypse Now banned? ›Apocalypse Now (1979)
It was banned in South Korea due to its anti-war theme, while others have widely debated whether or not it is actually an anti-war or pro-war film. Either way, it is widely regarded as the best film about Vietnam, and generally considered one of the best war films ever made.
Variety reported that in the wake of the storm, the "U.S. military refused to cooperate, and there were claims that the governments of Australia and Philippines were pressured to deny production assistance to the film, which was considered to be taking a negative look at America's role in Vietnam."
What is the movie about the apocalypse with celebrities? ›The concept of the movie is rather simple - have a bunch of celebrities fighting for their life during the Apocalypse. It starts off rather inconspicuously - Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen after spending a day on smoking weed and playing video games head to party at James Franco's new mansion.
Are there any new zombie movies coming out in 2023? ›
4. Pallu Padama Paathuka (2023) Five youngsters who decide to commit suicide enter an abandoned forest are swarmed by a troop of zombies. Fearing for their lives, the hero tries to escape the attack and save his love interest from a dangerous zombie monster.
What is the new post-apocalyptic show on HBO? ›The Last of Us keeps the faith. The Last of Us, HBO's adaptation of Neil Druckmann's lauded video game, is finally here after a long battle to bring the post-apocalyptic survival game to life.
What is the number 1 zombie movie? ›1. Night of the Living Dead (1968)