I found a good book the other day. I went into Bestsellers, the only bookstore on the island, and saw it sitting there begging me to buy it. I had heard of it, I'd heard interviews with the author, and now there it was waiting for me to buy it. The title? Death From the Skies! Secondary title: This is the way the world will end. Bookstore section? Science. Author? Phil Plait, PhD in astronomy.

Today I took it into work and scared the hell out of my students. There are 9 chapters and each one deals with a different way the universe might kill us. Chapter one is meteors, asteroids, and comets, oh my! It is titled Target Earth!

Other chapters cover such things as Solar Mass Ejections, Cosmic Ray Bursts, Black Holes, Colliding Galaxies, and the eventual death of the sun. I have learned so much about astronomy in the last few days. Plait's style is easy to read and full of fun comments.

Phil Plait also has the Bad Astronomy website. That is a fun place to explore as well.