So you want to destroy the Earth?

You can now plot your worst nightmares (astronomically speaking) from the comfort of your own living-room, thanks to Purdue University. Science magazine reports:

Want to demolish Earth? A new Web site allows you to choose the form of the destructor. Just type in a few variables such as diameter, density, and velocity and Impact: Earth! will send a comet or asteroid hurtling toward our planet.

There's more at the link.

Looks like an interesting simulation, if a little uncomfortable! The Web site provides comprehensive documentation on how they developed the program (link is to an Adobe Acrobat document in .PDF format). It's probably very useful as a science education tool, particularly for destructively-minded boys . . .

Peter