Exoplanets : diamonds worlds, super-Earths, pulsar planets, and the new search for life beyond our solar system

Exoplanets Diamonds worlds, super-Earths, pulsar planets, and the new search for life beyond our solar system

Michael E. Summers

Book - 2017

"The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space"--NoveList.

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Subjects
Extrasolar planets.
Planets.
Life on other planets.
Extraterrestrial beings.
Published
Washington, DC : Smithsonian Books [2017]
Language
English
Main Author
Michael E. Summers (author)
Other Authors
James Trefil, 1938- (-)
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
218 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781588346254
9781588345943
  • 1. Not Your Grandfather's Galaxy
  • 2. Our Backyard
  • 3. A Plurality of Worlds
  • 4. What Is a Planet?
  • 5. The Kepler Spacecraft
  • 6. 55 Cancri E: Diamond World
  • 7. Haven: Rogue Planet
  • 8. Ice World
  • 9. Kepler 186f: Super Earth, Archipelago World
  • 10. Gliese 1214b: Water World
  • 11. Life on Earth
  • 12. The Search for Extraterrestrial Life
  • 13. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
  • 14. The Fermi Paradox
  • Epilogue
  • Index
  • Photography and Illustration Credits
Review by Library Journal Review

George Mason University professors Summers (astronomy) and Trefil (physics; Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond) discuss and evaluate the recent discoveries from the Kepler satellite. Kepler was launched in 2009 and has since identified thousands of planets in the galaxy. These planets outside of our solar system, called exoplanets, have arrived in such an astonishing number and in places where planets should not form, such as planets near pulsars that should have been obliterated when that star went super-nova, that they have turned astronomy on its head. The authors take the listener on a tour of a Diamond World, a Super Earth, and even a Rogue Planet (one that does not orbit a nearby star). They also discuss various "chauvinisms" that present as biases in science today, such as surface, stellar, and carbon chauvinisms (i.e., scientists will assume life can only form on the surface, in a zone congruent in temperature to Earth, and must be carbon-based). Jon Bennett's soft voice lures the listener as he expounds upon the universe. VERDICT With the current spate of consumer-friendly writing promoting interest in science, this audiobook is highly recommended for all libraries.-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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