Polar Storm

---

Hello.

This is Lou Vanetti,

reporting live

from KBRX.

I don't know if--

[buzz]

[with echo]

anyone out there

can hear me or not.

[buzz]

[deep inhale]

Only hours remain before

the earth's magnetic field

declines to zero.

[buzz]

And as most

of you know by now,

once that occurs,

[buzzing]

solar radiation

will destroy

the atmosphere.

And--God be

with us all.

[silence and a

bird cries out]

[tires screech]

[eerie roar grows]

Turn the car off!

[loud hissing]

[buzzing and

small explosions]

[silence]

I think it's gone.

Start the car.

[Cynthia]

Damn it!

We'll have

to go back.

[loud vibrating]

[growing roar]

Get out of

the car now!

(Shane)

Come on!

Jump!

[scream]

No!

(Lou, over TV)

Flights across the globe

have been grounded

for 24 hours

as the

comet Copernicus

passes Earth.

This will be the largest

celestial object in

recorded history

to pass this close and

is expected to create a

global magnetic disturbance.

When the comet was

first discovered

six months ago--

Good morning.

Hi, Miss Penny.

Hi, Cyn. Zoe,

that's Cynthia's

order in the fridge.

So I'm

taking the

Science Club

on a field trip

to watch the comet.

I heard.

That's very

brave of you.

You're coming

along too,

right, Zoe?

Yeah. Dad is

letting me off

early so I can come.

Right, Dad?

I suppose.

(Lou on TV)

...discuss what unforeseen

dangers we may be facing,

we are joined now

via satellite by our

own Dr. James Mayfield.

Hey, look

who's on TV!

Doctor, could

you explain

why you believe it's

possible that the comet

could hit us

when almost everyone else

has predicted it will

simply pass us by.

Wait a minute, Lou,

all I said was that

you can't rule it out.

Having just

passed the sun,

gases in the

comet's icy core

will be

heating up

like a hotspring.

This will affect

the comet speed and

trajectory in ways--

that we just

can't predict.

Fascinating. Now l

understand the Storm

Hazards Dept.

has sent you to northern

Alaska to observe the

comet swing by.

That's right. We'll be

just inside the

Arctic Circle

where the comet

is expected to

pass over.

Its orbital fulcrum,

meaning the closest

it will be to Earth,

it's a very exciting

opportunity for us

to observe

geomagnetic anomalies

in the Earth's

magnetic field.

Thank you, Doctor.

That was local

astrophysicist Dr.

James Mayfield

via satellite

from Alaska.

[sizzling and roaring]

[birds chirping]

Getting a signal?

Yep. Logging

into the satellite.

Ah, my last

two Cubans.

I've been

saving them for

a special occasion.

That's against

the law, you know.

Yeah. Well.

Relax, Peter

we're in Alaska.

Well, the U.S. Trade

Embargo says that no

American citizen

can smoke a Cuban

cigar anywhere in

the world.

And we're in!

Showtime.

You can get

ten years.

That's a

good point.

I better smoke

both of them.

[phone beeping]

Hey, Pam. Satellite

link is up.

You should

be getting

REM readings.

Copy, James.

We're getting

it now.

(male voice)

Across the globe,

eyes look

skyward tonight.

Millions of teachers

and students in

every nation

get the chance to

glimpse something great

astronomers of the past

could only

have dreamed of.

Okay, everyone.

I'd like to show

you something.

Just as our planet

has a magnetic field,

so does the comet.

This comet's gonna pass

Pluto by the time this

guy finishes.

Zoe, could

you come up

here, please?

Hold this up

for me, please.

We're going to imagine

that this compass

is Earth.

As the comet passes,

the magnetic fields interact,

creating intense bursts

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