Those who curled up in front of the box to be harrowed by Asteroid, a science
thriller about an asteroid hitting Earth, might like to straighten out the facts
with a dip into Fred Schaaf’s Comet of the Century (Copernicus, $29, ISBN
0 387 94793 0). Schaaf writes the “Stars and Planets” column for Sky &
Telescope, so he knows his stuff. With Comet Hale-Bopp in our skies, time to
head for the hills with the binoculars and book in hand.
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