Earth-Shattering: Violent Supernovas, Galactic Explosives, Biological Mayhem, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Other Hazards to Life in Our Universe

From the Big Bang and colliding galaxies, to Earth-based mass extinctions and nuclear accidents, Astronomy magazine columnist Berman (The Sun’s Heartbeat) takes science buffs on a far-ranging and enthusiastic tour of cataclysms, local and remote. The author begins with the Big Bang that created the universe, examining the possible origins of dark matter and energy, as well as “newly minted” subatomic particles, stars, galaxies, and, finally, “piping hot worlds” like Earth. Lunar craters, visible and those less visible from Earth, reveal the violent collisions common in the early solar system, though less so now. Swinging far out into space, one finds supernovas and the creation of the elements in stellar furnaces. Berman, who also takes in starburst galaxies, dueling neutron stars, electronics-wrecking solar flares, and the chaotic quantum “foam” between galaxies, covers an exhaustive list of exotic and fascinating events, closing with a few disasters that weren’t, like the infamous “Y2K” problem, and the apocalypse supposedly predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar. This lively menagerie of astrophysical oddities will entertain any reader who’s ever wondered what the biggest, most dangerous “bangs” in the universe might be. Agent: Albert Zuckerman, Writers House. (Feb.)