I am fond of a line from Niels Bohr, the physicist, and have quoted it before: "Prediction is a very difficult art especially when it involves the future."

Scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center report that one of the largest stars in our galaxy is about to self-destruct. Eta Carinae, which has a mass 100 times greater than that of our sun, is giving signs that its life is about over. Researchers say that it could become a supernova - a blazing, exploding star within the next 10,000 years. What was especially interesting about the report was the statement that since light from the star takes 9,000 years to reach the earth, the actual explosion could have already taken pl…