From HowStuffWorks.com, via GMSV, How the Death Star Works:

The Death Star represents the absolute pinnacle of military engineering and technology. In this article HowStuffWorks will look at the Death Star inside and out, examine the fascinating history behind this powerful military and political tool, discover other incarnations of the Death Star and learn about what really happens when you blow up a planet.

Particularly interesting is the disparity in casualty reporting between the Alliance and the Empire in the destruction of the first Death Star.