Gene Shoemaker, who co-discovered the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, was among the experts brought on board to consult on the making of the movie “Deep Impact.” Chris Luchini and Joshua Colwell, a physics professor at the University of Central Florida, were also part of the team. The goal of the movie’s creators was to be as scientifically accurate as possible compared to most sci-fi movies.
The movie depicted attempts to deflect the comet and create a subterranean ‘ark’ to save people from its impact. These activities were plausible but would require significant resources and time. In addition to their efforts, Colwell and his colleagues worked to ensure that the comet’s surface looked accurate and was scientifically sized at seven miles across. They also made sure that the potential impact of an actual comet strike was portrayed realistically.
The advisors took into account several factors when consulting on the film, including Earth’s oceans, which would be greatly affected by a comet strike, resulting in massive tidal waves. They emphasized that astronauts should be shown weightless near the comet’s surface since any celestial body with its gravity would be spherical due to isostatic adjustment. For example, Mimas, a spherical body in our solar system that is about 246 miles in diameter, while C/2014 UN271, one of the largest known comets is only approximately 1.2 miles in diameter.