How to Find a Habitable Planet

by James F. Kasting

The amazing science behind the search for Earth-like planets

Ever since Carl Sagan first predicted that extraterrestrial civilizations must number in the millions, the search for life on other planets has gripped our imagination. Is Earth so rare that advanced life forms like us--or even the simplest biological organisms--are unique to the universe? How to Find a Habitable Planet describes how scientists are testing Sagan's prediction, and demonstrates why Earth may not be so rare after all.

James Kasting has worked closely with NASA in its mission to detect habitable worlds outside our solar system, and in this book he introduces readers to the advanced methodologies being used in this extraordinary quest. He addresses the compelling questions that planetary scientists grapple with today: What exactly makes a planet habitable? What are the signatures of life astronomers should look for when they scan the heavens for habitable worlds? In providing answers, Kasting explains why Earth has remained habitable despite a substantial rise in solar luminosity over time, and why our neighbors, Venus and Mars, haven't. If other Earth-sized planets endowed with enough water and carbon are out there, he argues, chances are good that some of those planets sustain life. Kasting describes the efforts under way to find them, and predicts that future discoveries will profoundly alter our view of the universe and our place in it.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of finding other planets like ours--and perhaps even life like ours--in the cosmos.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Astronomy, Space, Planetary Science, Geology

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

James Fraser Kasting

Reviews

[Richard Lambour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good review of the science of planetary habitability concentrating on the evolution of habitable planets and planetary atmospheres, which I believe is Kasting's area of expertise. A bit light on the details and obviously scrubbed to improve general readability; I would have appreciated more detail on the calculation of habitable zones, galactic habitable zones, and more of the details on the design and operation of the various instrumentation in use to find exoplanets. Becoming a bit dated, as there is little mention of Kepler, and I believe that the various incarnations of TPF are still considered wither too expensive or very difficult with current technology (e.g., formation flight of multiple spacecraft).

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some go to astrologers to find out the future. The more refined ones listen to the ”science”. Never mind the price of gas is rising, and there is no decent alternative to produce energy. Now let's listen to the Governmental priest and his sermon in which the bureaucrats will deliver to you the Heavens, at a great cost. So who cares that a decade from now someone will notice this sermon was crap and the ”science” was faulty. Back in the days of Ancient Greece science was about what works. Today ”science” is what a licensed preacher tells you.

[Danny Barulli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was very insightful and it had a lot of good information. I think he is an extreme optimist in the hopes of finding life on other planets without taking into other considerations for the limits of habitability. He does not give enough credence to a planet's position within the galaxy nor our galaxy's position within the cluster.

[Jiachen Guo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on undergraduate courses the author taught at Penn State. Very good content.

[Canadian Scholar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dated but provides good context for the current search for exoplanets. Wouldn't be my first choice for this subject but worth reading

[Steve Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quite readable account of current efforts to find habitable planets in our galactic neck of the woods by a respected researcher in earth systems sciences. The first half of the book is probably the better half, and deals with why Earth is a habitable planet and why Venus and Mars are not. The second half of the book deals with the techniques utilised by astronomers to find extrasolar planets (i.e. ones outside the solar system), and the spectroscopic methods that could be used in future space missions to detect the signatures of life on extrasolar planets in the habitable zone of their stars. If you are a layperson interested in planetary sciences and the search for life elsewhere in the universe, this book is well worth a look.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book and wanted to understand the subject better, as I keep reading about extrasolar planet discoveries. The beginning of the book engaged me, but then it started getting very technical very fast. I love science but this was too much for me. I studied engineering in college so have a fair amount of science and math background. I ended up flying through the last chapters just to finish, which was a shame since I had I initially been looking forward to learning about the actual methods for detecting planets. My mind didn't want to process it all at that point though!

[Brie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have a whole lot to say about this book, as overrall I found it a bit boring. I have read other science books, and astrobiology and astronomy books, but this one was way too technical for me. There were only a few chapters I could grasp, and the rest I just skimmed because it was too much. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have a firm grasp on the topics discussed, or enjoy going back to old chemistry notes to understand what is going on.

[Ichsan Wibawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone without a slight background of the field, technical aspects of this book can be overwhelming. However, one still be able to grasp the overall substances of the science intended.

For me this is a first academic book, that I can read thorough, page by page without loosing interest (despite previously mentioned overwhelming technical aspect). Thus far, sparks my interest on reading more books with similar theme (Rare Earth, here I come!).

Overall: Highly recommended, 5/5.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a number of books out now that talk about the discovery of exoplanets in the last twenty years or so. This is one of the few that deals with the science of exoplanetology and presents the topic at a semi-technical level. Also appreciate the well sourced bibliography in the book. Serves as a nice bridge between the general popular accounts and the move advanced material from Dr. Sara Seager and others.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kasting gives a truly fascinating insight into the topic of exoplanetary science. There is detailed information about modern techniques for exoplanet detection as well as complex discussion of habitibilty models, yet it's all presented in a way that is not too difficult to understand. It's easy to be drawn into the author's enthusiasm for the mysteries of this subject area.

[Jose Moa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book on the subject