Exoplanets

In terms of what’s out there, how we discovered it, and how that’s changed our view and understanding of the planets out there in the Universe, Exoplanets by Donald Goldsmith does a remarkable job of covering what we know, how we learned it, what it means and what comes next. We are closer than we’ve ever been for discovering the first evidence of life in another Solar System. Come learn where we are on that quest with this book. – Ethan Siegel * Forbes *
How do alien, faraway worlds reveal their existence to Earthlings? Let Donald Goldsmith count the ways. As an experienced astronomer and a gifted storyteller, he is the perfect person to chronicle the ongoing hunt for planets of other stars. Notwithstanding the grandeur of his subject—an age-old human question now become an active quest—Goldsmith treats the search for other worlds with wisdom, wit, and an often thrilling choice of words. – Dava Sobel, author of The Glass Universe
Were you fortunate enough to have a favorite aunt, or a particularly great teacher, who could explain complicated ideas in a way that helped you understand them, and made you want to know more? That’s the role Donald Goldsmith plays in his delightful new book. In the past few decades, scientists have discovered myriad worlds that are like and unlike those we are familiar with. Goldsmith brings the reader up close and personal, inviting us to explore many of these systems and their discoverers. He helps us understand what we know and what we have yet to uncover, how we came to be here, and what the chances are for life beyond Earth. – Jill Tarter, Chair Emeritus for SETI Research, SETI Institute
For centuries humans have speculated about worlds beyond our solar system and life beyond Earth. In just the last few decades astronomers have discovered that most stars have planets, and that many of these planets could be habitable. Goldsmith recounts this stunning transformation in our cosmic understanding in a book that is comprehensive yet concise, and that prepares readers for the breakthroughs to come, including—perhaps within our lifetime—the discovery of credible evidence that we are not alone. – Richard Tresch Fienberg, Press Officer, American Astronomical Society
[Goldsmith] recounts early efforts to detect planets outside our solar system and explains the breakthroughs in detection methods that enabled astronomers to find the first exoplanets. He also gives an informative account of where known exoplanets are and what they might be like, along with a tantalizing glimpse at what might come next for astronomers as they search beyond the solar system’s bounds. – Melinda Baldwin * Physics Today *

Donald Goldsmith has written and edited more than twenty books on astronomy, including Origins with Neil deGrasse Tyson, The End of Astronauts with Martin Rees, and Exoplanets. He was the science editor and cowriter of the PBS television series The Astronomers and the cowriter of NOVA’s Is Anybody Out There? with Lily Tomlin.

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