Movies - TV
How Scientifically Accurate Was Deep Impact’s Comet Disaster?
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Deep Impact," various scientists, environmental activists, and astronomers spoke with Salon about the film's attention to scientific detail.
Joshua Colwell, a physics professor at the University of Central Florida stated, "It's not hard to be more scientifically accurate than most sci-fi movies.”
Colwell said that the movie depicts an attempt to deflect the comet and also to create a subterranean 'ark' to help people survive, both of which are plausible.
The movie’s advisors also ensured the comet’s surface looked correct and was scientifically accurate in size; in this case, it was seven miles across.
They also wanted to make sure that the collision looked like an actual comet strike, positing what would happen to Earth's oceans and the massive, city-swallowing tidal wave.