Large unidentified object spotted from outside solar system the same day as it was in 'Independence Day'

A large unidentified object from outside our solar system has been spotted – the same day as it was in Independence Day.

You may recall that in the 1996 movie, astronomers detected a unknown object approaching Earth from beyond our solar system.

Fortunately, the real-life story doesn’t involve something hitting the Earth – this object is projected to pass between the Earth and Mars.

But the question remains – what is it and how much should we be consulting Will Smith’s filmography for reference?

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This unidentified object has us thinking about the movie Independence Day

The scientific community is abuzz with news that an unidentified object has entered our solar system.

There’s still a lot left to learn about the object, dubbed A11pI3Z, but here’s what we know so far.

According to an article by Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, it has an H-magnitude of 12 – equivalent to a diameter of 20KM for those of us not scientifically inclined.

But even this isn’t set in stone – it could be bigger or smaller than this estimate.

According to a projection by amateur astronomer Tony Dunn, the object is projected to pass between Earth and Mars.

It’s set to reach its closest point to Earth on December 17.

But let’s put this in perspective – its closest point to Earth will be 2.4 times as far from Earth as Earth is from the Sun.

So even at its closest, it’s still very far away.

Still, this whole thing got us thinking about Independence Day (1996).

Yeah, that’s right – the Will Smith movie about the aliens that blew up a bunch of stuff.

You may recall that in that film, astronomers spotted an unknown object heading for Earth on July 2 – just like in real life.

In the blockbuster, this visitor turned out to be aliens.

In the real world, it is most likely an asteroid or a comet.

So don’t head for the doomsday bunker just yet.

Asteroids – a big cause of concern for humans

As science has advanced, humans have been more acutely attuned to the potential threat posed by asteroids.

We’re sure that movies like Deep Impact (1998) and Armageddon (1998) have played some role in shaping the public’s perception of these foreign objects.

In fact, one study found that 97 percent of the 20,000 people polled viewed space as a ‘threat’.

Of this cohort, 47 percent were concerned about ‘space junk and collisions in orbit’, which is just fancy talk for asteroids hitting the Earth.

But here on Earth, scientists are working hard to monitor this situation.

For instance, the European Space Agency recently built a bug-eyed telescope to spot asteroids before they hit us.

The world’s largest digital camera is also on the job, tracking down city-sized asteroids.

But asteroids aren’t always something to be feared – NASA discovered one worth $10 quintillion, which is enough to make everyone on Earth a billionaire.

In conclusion, don’t worry about A11pI3Z.

If you want a distraction, maybe choose another Will Smith film for movie night.

Maybe i-Robot? Oh wait…

How about I Am Legend? Hmm, no, that wouldn’t work.

Why does he have so many films that could send us into an existential crisis?

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