Search for Life in the Universe

by Donald Goldsmith, Tobias Owen

This work presents astronomy from the standpoint of estimating the likelihood of extraterrestrial life and the possibilities of finding it. Thus the text covers the fundamentals of astronomy, the origins and evolution of life on Earth, the formation and present state of the sun's family of planets and moons, and the opportunities and limitations on interstellar travel and communication. The book's final chapters deal with the issue of UFO reports and with Enrico Fermi's famous question, where is everybody? The book is suitable for college freshmen with no background in mathematics.

Genres: Nonfiction, Astronomy, Science

519 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Donald Goldsmith is an astrophysicist, popular science author and screenwriter. He is the president of Interstellar Media. He is also the winner of the 1995 American Astronomical Society's Annenberg Foundation Award for Education and the Klumpke-Roberts Prize for his contributions to the public understanding of astronomy.

He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969.He taught at Stony Brook University before becoming a full-time popularizer, and has written, co-written, or edited a number of popular science books.

His book "Origins," co-written with Neil Tyson, was the companion volume to the four-hour PBS series with the same title. Dr. Goldsmith worked on Carl Sagan's "COSMOS" series, and on Neil Tyson's series of the same name, and was the science editor and co-writer of the six-part PBS series "THE ASTRONOMERS." He has written many popular articles for journals such as Scientific American, Natural History, Discover, and Astronomy.

Reviews

[Ruth E. R.]

Fascinating. Based on scientific facts and processes observed by scientists on earth, such as weather patterns and "stargazing," and comparing this information to what we know of conditions on other planets, the book discusses whether or not it's likely that life could survive elsewhere. I gained a whole new appreciation for how orderly and balanced God created our planet so that it could sustain life. Also briefly explores evidence for other planets in other solar systems and the wormhole theory. This was the textbook used for "Extra-Terrestrial Environments and Intelligence," my science lab requirement as a liberal arts undergrad. Much more challenging than it may sound! For my final project, I read two science fiction novels about outerspace lifeforms or planets (Rendezvous with Rama and Ringworld); based on the sciences I had studied all semester, were the author's inventions likely or far from possible?

[Mark]

A clearly excellent book, detailing the SETI program, proposed methods for statistical models to determine the likelihood of encountering extraterrestrial life, theories on the formation of life elsewhere in the universe, and an overview of the intersection of the various sciences in support of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

A rare treasure, with the forward written by Carl Sagan.

Five Stars - Clearly - * * * * *