MICHAEL SUMMERS is a planetary scientist and professor of physics and astronomy at George Mason University. Since 1989, he has served on the mission teams of several NASA space probes in the role of science planning and interpretation of spacecraft observations. He is currently a coinvestigator on the NASA New Horizons mission to the Pluto-Charon double planet, where he serves as the deputy lead of the Atmospheres Theme Team. JAMES TREFIL is Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University. He has written more than 50 books on science for a general audience. His writing has won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Westinghouse Science Journalism Award, and other honors.
BOOKLIST, Starred Review
The existence of planets outside Earth's solar system was long
assumed, and recent technologies, including improved telescopes and
research satellites, have not only confirmed their existence but
revealed all kinds of surprises. The first verified exoplanet, for
instance, was orbiting "the wrong kind of star," a pulsar, or what
was left after a supernova that was supposed to blast to
smithereens anything even close to resembling a planet. Meanwhile,
the statuses of solar system objects besides the recognized planets
were changing as water, indispensable for Earth-like life, was
detected as superficial ice and subsurface oceans on some moons of
Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune as well as on big bodies in the Kuiper
Belt, such as the
demoted planet Pluto, which thereby regained its title.
Astonishment continued as huge, rocky "Super Earths," inexplicably
light planets, pure-carbon diamond planets, planets circling more
than one star, starhugging hot planets, and rogue planets
unconnected to stars were detected. These revelations, how they
were made, imaginative voyages to five un-Earthly types of planet,
and their implications for life and intelligence elsewhere than on
Earth are concisely illuminated by astrophysicists Summers and
Trefil in this marvelously fascinating and wonderfully accessible
illustrated book. -- Ray Olson PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers tour several bizarre worlds in this slim read, as Summers
and Trefil, professors of physics at George Mason University, show
how "defining a 'planet' has been made significantly more
difficult" in the exoplanet age. Astronomical investigations
outside our celestial backyard are ripe with paradigm shifts
because scientists suffered "the curse of the single example" our
solar system and carbon-based life. Detailed photos and
illustrations aid "visits" to unusual worlds, including 55 Cancri
e, where volcanoes spew liquid diamond; Kepler 186f, with its vast
lagoons and black flora that absorb "what energy they can from the
faint sun"; and a rogue planet wandering dark space, where any life
"must see in the infrared" and be warmed by the planet's core. The
authors temper runaway imaginations with scientific uncertainties
about each location, and they reexamine the Drake equation--used in
the search for extraterrestrial life--in light of our current
understanding of exosystem frequency and dynamics. Summers and
Trefil write confidently and straightforwardly for lay readers, who
will long ponder what planets circle other suns and the peculiar
possibilities of life beyond our blue marble. Illus. KIRKUS
REVIEW
A comprehensive introduction to the thousands of newly discovered
planets beyond our solar system, which are beautiful and
mind-bending in their diversity--and those are just the ones we
know of.
Though astronomers had long predicted that there were other solar
systems out there, only in the past decade has satellite telescope
technology been able to confirm the existence of an enormous number
of exoplanets, "planets outside our solar system. Even more
significant than their abundance is their diversity, and even more
astonishing than their diversity is, in some cases, their very
existence--many of these worlds defy what scientists thought they
knew about what was possible about how planets form and behave.
Planetary scientist Summers (Physics and Astronomy/George Mason
Univ.), who has been a member of multiple NASA mission teams, and
Trefil (Physics/George Mason Univ.; Space Atlas: Mapping the
Universe and Beyond, 2016, etc.) take readers on an exhilarating
tour of the universe as we now know it. In a series of chapters
that detail a variety of recently detected planets, the authors
provide both a history of exoplanet discovery and a look toward the
future of the field (which just may bear fruit in the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence). "If there really are rogue planets
floating around just outside the solar systems," they write, then
perhaps "multigenerational starships...won't be needed to reach
them." These otherworldly planets are dizzying in scope and are a
wonderful feast for the imagination, even as the authors back up
their imagery with the latest research findings. Also included are
a number of photographs and illustrations that provide a welcome
visual accompaniment to the lay-friendly text.
Space enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy this exploration into the
farthest reaches of the universe and the cutting edge of
astronomical research. CHOICE
Summers and Trefil (both, George Mason Univ.) have written a short,
entertaining book about the huge variety of extrasolar planetary
types, many of which were not even dreamt of a decade ago. The
authors explore characteristics of some types discovered and
extrapolated, such as worlds covered in ice and water, worlds with
volcanoes that erupt diamonds, and some not yet seen, such as
rogues ejected from planetary systems during formation to wander
the galaxy without a star. The authors devote the most important
part of the book to two questions: Is there life elsewhere and can
we recognize it? If so, is there intelligent life? They posit that
the first question may be answered in the affirmative soon, as new
telescopes begin the necessary observations. Yet the question about
intelligent life may never be answered. The book has been written
to avoid the obsolescence that rapid progress can bring about in
this field.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |