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Geo and Phil Plait perform Death From The Skies onstage at NECSS 2011, calling this the Lazy Sunday version. This inspired Geo to re-record the acoustic version that you now have. Enjoy the newest Death!

Photo: \\xa92011 Bruce F. Press Photography

You can watch the NECSS performance here courtesy of Brian Gregory.

Death From The Skies

lyrics

Odds of dying by asteroid impact:\\xa0 1 in 700,000
The overall risk of dying from an impact in your lifetime is one in seven hundred thousand- somewhat less than being killed by a fireworks accident- but still more probable than being killed on an amusement park ride or by an act of terrorism.\\xa0\\xa0 \\xa0\\xa0\\xa0

Odds of dying by supernova explosion: 1 in 10,000,000
Supernovae happen about once per century in any given galaxy. Assuming the event would cause a mass extinction killing everyone on earth- the odds of you specifically dying from one during your lifetime are about 1 in 10 million.

Odds of dying by solar flare or coronal mass ejection:
ZERO, but with an asterisk.
While a whopping big solar event can seriously impair or destroy a nation\'s infrastructure and economy, in general it will not directly cause deaths. We have to rate this a zero chance for human fatality, but with an asterisk, as a nod to the destructive power it has in other ways.

Odds of dying by gamma ray burst: 1 in 14,000,000
Gamma ray bursts are dangerous from distances of more than 7,000 light years. You would have to be in the path of a relatively narrow beam to get hurt. Your odds of being killed by a GRB are one in 14 million. You\'re about as likely to be killed by a shark attack.

Eventual odds of dying by death of the sun: inevitable

Eventual odds of dying by galactic doom: inevitable

Eventual odds of dying by death of the universe: inevitable

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