Cosmic Catastrophes on Film: A Stellar Collection

Description: This blockbuster features a team of oil drillers sent into space to destroy an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Its inclusion in this list is due to the sheer scale of the cosmic threat and the human drama against the backdrop of space.

Fact: The film was originally pitched as a low-budget indie film before becoming a massive Hollywood production. Bruce Willis reportedly donated his entire salary to charity.

Description: A comet is discovered on a collision course with Earth, leading to a global response to avert the disaster. This film stands out for its realistic portrayal of government and public reaction to an astronomical event.

Fact: The film was released in the same year as "Armageddon," leading to comparisons between the two asteroid-themed movies.

Description: When the Earth's core stops spinning, a team must drill to the center to restart it, preventing catastrophic events like the collapse of the magnetic field. It's a unique take on an astronomical disaster from within the Earth.

Fact: The film was criticized for its scientific inaccuracies but praised for its imaginative premise.

Description: While primarily a climate change disaster film, it includes a significant astronomical event with the sudden shift in the Earth's climate due to a change in the North Atlantic current, triggered by cosmic forces.

Fact: The film was criticized for its scientific inaccuracies but praised for its visual effects and the portrayal of natural disasters.

Description: A team of astronauts is sent to reignite the dying sun with a massive bomb, facing numerous challenges along the way. Its inclusion is due to the sun itself being the central astronomical phenomenon.

Fact: The film's director, Danny Boyle, also directed "28 Days Later," which shares some thematic elements with "Sunshine."

Description: This film explores a global cataclysm caused by a solar flare and the subsequent geological upheavals. It's a spectacle of destruction with a cosmic trigger.

Fact: The film was inspired by the Mayan calendar's end date, which was popularly misinterpreted as predicting the end of the world.

Description: A rogue planet named Melancholia is on a collision course with Earth. This film delves into psychological and emotional responses to impending doom, making it a unique entry in the disaster genre.

Fact: The film's director, Lars von Trier, was inspired by his own battle with depression when creating the storyline.

Description: A time capsule containing a child's drawing predicts catastrophic events, including a solar flare that threatens all life on Earth. It's included for its blend of science fiction and cosmic disaster.

Fact: The film's ending was controversial, with some viewers feeling it was too bleak.

Description: This classic British film deals with the aftermath of simultaneous nuclear tests by the US and USSR, which inadvertently shift the Earth's axis, causing climate chaos. It's included for its early exploration of man-made astronomical disasters.

Fact: The film was shot in black and white, with color sequences used to depict the catastrophic events.

Description: In this Chinese sci-fi epic, humanity attempts to move Earth out of the solar system to avoid the sun's expansion. It's a grand scale disaster film with an astronomical twist.

Fact: It was one of the highest-grossing non-English language films of all time.