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New Worlds in the Cosmos: The Discovery of Exoplanets
With the discovery in 1995 of the first planet orbiting another star, we now realize that planets are not unique to our own Solar System. For centuries, humanity has wondered whether we are alone in the Universe. We are now finally one step closer to knowing the answer. The quest for exoplanets is an exciting one because it holds the possibility that one day we might find life elsewhere in the Universe, born in the light of another sun. Written from the perspective of one of the pioneers of this scientific adventure, this exciting account describes the development of the modern observing technique that has enabled astronomers to find so many planets orbiting around other stars. It reveals the wealth of new planets that have now been discovered outside our Solar System, and the meaning of this finding as it concerns other life in the Universe. Michel Mayor is Director of the Observatory of Geneva, Switzerland. In 1995, together with Didier Queloz, he discovered the first extrasolar planet (51 Peg b) around a main sequence star, and has discovered many more since. His work earned him the prestigious Balzan Prize in 2000, for Instrumentation and Techniques in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Pierre-Yves Frei is a science journalist with the Swiss newspaper, Lausanne Hebdo. In 1998 he was awarded the Media Prize of the Swiss Natural Sciences Academy for science popularization. Boud Roukema is the translator.
274 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 6, 2016
Your take on this book is going to depend on your level of astronomical novel, a fact that ought to be a given when it comes to any University Press book but bears repeating. As such, I'll begin this review with my introduction: I'm a science writer, focusing on space, with a Bachelors in Astrophysics. As a result, while I don't have a PhD level of understanding of the material, I consider myself extremely familiar with it.
Published in 2003, Mayor's book on exoplanets is admittedly dated, but that doesn't change its value, particularly for those only now catching up in the post-Kepler planet boom. The authors (Mayor and a science writer) begin with an overview of man's search for planets outside the solar system. While the history of astronomy included will be familiar to anyone who paid attention in an introductory level astronomy course, the authors make sure to address it in a planetary-biased view, focusing on how discoveries like those of Kepler and Newton would eventually impact today's search for bodies beyond the solar system. They also added a few scientific biographies that I have remained unfamiliar with in the history of astronomy, which made for a pleasant surprise.
The tone of these first few chapters avoids a lecture-heavy style. While it doesn't quite hit the storytelling form of Timothy Ferris, it avoids becoming too technical.
Though I found these chapters interesting, particularly for the unknown gems they held, I was glad when the authors addressed the history of the search for planets beyond the solar system. In order to cover the first discovered exoplanets/planetary system, they discuss the formation of pulsars, which also becomes an overview of the life of stars. A more in-depth examination of stellar types is included as planetary formation is preceded with the formation of their parent stars, and the impact of their lifetimes.
The authors combine their descriptions of the various methods of planet hunting with both successful and unsuccessful searches made with each. They do not shy away from the failures and the challenges that advanced the discipline, describing how mistakes made were corrected for and learned from by the entire astronomical community; how discoveries were met with challengers who made certain that rigorous methods were followed, resulting in stronger confirmations of the planets that emerged; how, step by step, planet hunting grew into the wealth of exoplanets we see today.
Because it was published nearly a decade before the launch of NASA's planet-finding Kepler space craft, it mentions it only in passing, as one of the numerous possible tools to be utilized in the future. It was also interesting to read of the author's hopes for the newly-birthed HARPS, which has produced a wealth of planets, and other missions and telescopes that have joined the hunt.
The anachronisms also served to remind me just how far we've come so quickly. I remember the early '90s, when the first exoplanet was announced. In 2003, the author boasts about the wealth of planets discovered - ten, all of which fit on a single-page chart. As I write this review, Kepler alone has 4,234 planet candidates, 977 of them confirmed. With the other telescopes, mankind knows of more than a thousand planets beyond the solar system, all harvested in the last two decades, most in recent years. It's amazing how far science and technology have evolved when it comes to probing the universe.
Mayor avoids harping on extraterrestrial possibilities, leaving fantastic speculation for science fiction. He discusses the requirements most scientists label as necessary for a planet to be habitable: location in the "habitable zone", where it can hold liquid water at its surface (not too hot, not too cold), sufficient gravity and atmosphere to hold that water. He discusses then-upcoming instruments, many of which fell by the wayside but some of which are still in the works, that might detect signs that could indicate habitability or the potential for life, emphasizing that such findings would remain indefinite. And the authors manage this in a generally non-technical tone, with language that remains interesting rather than dry and sterile. ("51 Peg ceased to be, for us, a plain, standard star. It became an important target, the centre of our curiosity, our inseparable companion for our nights of observations.")
While I doubt the book adds much, other than perhaps slight nuggets of information or insight into the hunt other astronomers experienced (many of the astronomer interactions are well described, though too numerous to constantly be brought to life), for professional astronomers, I think it has a great deal to offer amateur astronomers and those simply curious about how instruments like Kepler are finding other planets.
Published in 2003, Mayor's book on exoplanets is admittedly dated, but that doesn't change its value, particularly for those only now catching up in the post-Kepler planet boom. The authors (Mayor and a science writer) begin with an overview of man's search for planets outside the solar system. While the history of astronomy included will be familiar to anyone who paid attention in an introductory level astronomy course, the authors make sure to address it in a planetary-biased view, focusing on how discoveries like those of Kepler and Newton would eventually impact today's search for bodies beyond the solar system. They also added a few scientific biographies that I have remained unfamiliar with in the history of astronomy, which made for a pleasant surprise.
The tone of these first few chapters avoids a lecture-heavy style. While it doesn't quite hit the storytelling form of Timothy Ferris, it avoids becoming too technical.
Though I found these chapters interesting, particularly for the unknown gems they held, I was glad when the authors addressed the history of the search for planets beyond the solar system. In order to cover the first discovered exoplanets/planetary system, they discuss the formation of pulsars, which also becomes an overview of the life of stars. A more in-depth examination of stellar types is included as planetary formation is preceded with the formation of their parent stars, and the impact of their lifetimes.
The authors combine their descriptions of the various methods of planet hunting with both successful and unsuccessful searches made with each. They do not shy away from the failures and the challenges that advanced the discipline, describing how mistakes made were corrected for and learned from by the entire astronomical community; how discoveries were met with challengers who made certain that rigorous methods were followed, resulting in stronger confirmations of the planets that emerged; how, step by step, planet hunting grew into the wealth of exoplanets we see today.
Because it was published nearly a decade before the launch of NASA's planet-finding Kepler space craft, it mentions it only in passing, as one of the numerous possible tools to be utilized in the future. It was also interesting to read of the author's hopes for the newly-birthed HARPS, which has produced a wealth of planets, and other missions and telescopes that have joined the hunt.
The anachronisms also served to remind me just how far we've come so quickly. I remember the early '90s, when the first exoplanet was announced. In 2003, the author boasts about the wealth of planets discovered - ten, all of which fit on a single-page chart. As I write this review, Kepler alone has 4,234 planet candidates, 977 of them confirmed. With the other telescopes, mankind knows of more than a thousand planets beyond the solar system, all harvested in the last two decades, most in recent years. It's amazing how far science and technology have evolved when it comes to probing the universe.
Mayor avoids harping on extraterrestrial possibilities, leaving fantastic speculation for science fiction. He discusses the requirements most scientists label as necessary for a planet to be habitable: location in the "habitable zone", where it can hold liquid water at its surface (not too hot, not too cold), sufficient gravity and atmosphere to hold that water. He discusses then-upcoming instruments, many of which fell by the wayside but some of which are still in the works, that might detect signs that could indicate habitability or the potential for life, emphasizing that such findings would remain indefinite. And the authors manage this in a generally non-technical tone, with language that remains interesting rather than dry and sterile. ("51 Peg ceased to be, for us, a plain, standard star. It became an important target, the centre of our curiosity, our inseparable companion for our nights of observations.")
While I doubt the book adds much, other than perhaps slight nuggets of information or insight into the hunt other astronomers experienced (many of the astronomer interactions are well described, though too numerous to constantly be brought to life), for professional astronomers, I think it has a great deal to offer amateur astronomers and those simply curious about how instruments like Kepler are finding other planets.
April 16, 2017
Anyone that knows me knows that I love Astronomy. Lately I have been very interested in “Exoplanets,” which are planets found outside of our solar system. These planets revolve around other stars and could be the home to alien life. It is a fascinating science and an important project that touches on the most basic of human questions “Are we alone?” Although this book is mostly on the observing, research and history of the search for these far off planets and leaves the alien question to the end of the book. I found it an interesting and informative tale; full of excitement and failure, hope and determination. If you want to know what is out there… this book is one of the places to begin your journey.
July 23, 2009
great pacing, really engaging description of the scientists' personalities
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews