GEO 1000, Natural Disasters
Movie Worksheet: Deep Impact

1. Who discovers the comet? Do you think that is likely?
A teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman discovers the comet. He discovers the unusual object between the Mizar and Alcor stars while at a party with his friends from the astronomy club. He tells his teacher, who in turn alerts Dr. Marcus Wolf, an astronomer, who realizes that it is a comet set to collide with Earth.
It is unlikely that a comet so bright and a year from reaching Earth had not been discovered by any other astronomer. In addition, comets do not move very fast across the sky, so it would have taken a long time to get as bright as the Mizar.

2. How long does the government wait after the discovery of the comet to tell the public? Do you think this is an appropriate amount of time?
The government waits for a year since discovery to alert the public. This is prompted by a resignation of the Secretary of Treasury, Alan Rittenhouse. Jenny Lerner probes the story and finds herself facing the FBI. She later learns that the resignation was due to an “Extinction Level Event” and President Tom Beck makes the announcement.
The government holds discretion to disclosure for disasters, especially if it is extinction level events. They had given themselves enough time to attempt to mitigate the issue and once the resignation triggered public curiosity, it was prudent to let the public know. It should be noted that by this time, they also unveiled a solution to the problem to ensure public confidence.

3. What does the surface of the comet look like?
The comet surface is mostly grey and white and 7 miles across. Although comets are among the darkest objects in the solar system and reflect little of the light that hits the surface. However, this must have been for visibility in the movie since the background is a dark sky.

4. In the