What was the catastrophe in 'The Midnight Sky'? Know about what happened to life on Earth

George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky recently started streaming on Netflix. The Midnight Sky is a Sci-fi drama about a lone scientist Augustine who makes efforts to contact the Aether crew of astronauts returning home to an earth that has been destroyed by a mysterious global catastrophe. The Midnight Sky ending was pretty complicated because of the twist in this sci-fi movie. Here’s a look at what was the catastrophe in The Midnight Sky.

What was the catastrophe in The Midnight Sky?

The movie is set in February 2049 and takes place three weeks after "the event", but it's never explicitly stated what this event was. However, it is clear that life over Earth is impossible after the global catastrophe as in a flashback in the movie, the other scientists are seen leaving the observatory to be with their families in the last moments. 

"Terminal patient outlives the rest of humanity. Someone should put you in a medical journal," Augustine is told when he decides to stay. During the early parts of the movie, Augustine is seen monitoring the Air Quality Index of the area around the observatory for the rising radiation levels. It appears that by the time of The Midnight Sky, this radiation has taken over the entire planet, with the poles in the last places to be affected. 

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This catastrophe is definitely a worldwide event, as when Sully has trouble contacting Earth from Aether, she mentions that she tried contacting the likes of China, Russia, Australia and India and hasn't received any reply. The suggestion is that it was an environmental issue that caused the catastrophe. When Augustine does get in touch with Sully, later on, he says: "I'm afraid we didn't do a very good job of looking after the place while you were away."

The Midnight Sky is an adaptation of a book by Lily Brooks-Dalton, Good Morning, Midnight. Though the book also didn’t give a reason behind the catastrophic event, it is clear that it was not a surprise for the characters that this will happen. Aether is in space to confirm that life is possible on K-23 which is one of Jupiter’s moons discovered by Augustine.

On its return to Earth, the plan for K-23 colony flight has to be there. But the movie shows that all the survivable areas were underground and temporary. Augustine is ill with an unspecified illness but Clooney reportedly said that the scientist is suffering from radiation poisoning.

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