Best books of the month, Parade
22 new books to recommend, LitHub
Notable new nonfiction, Daily Kos
"Kaltenegger kept surprising me... There is nothing supernatural about this story — but if it doesn’t blow your mind just a little bit, I don’t know what will."
—The Washington Post
"Makes the science accessible and fun."
—Best books of April, The Christian Science Monitor
"Even for those more cognizant of space science, they can savor the passion Kaltenegger brings to the topic plus the flavorful way the author portrays newer discoveries."
—National Space Society
"Kaltenegger’s quest to identify planets beyond Earth that might harbour life makes her an energetic experimentalist, as she explains vividly in her book...She writes with exemplary clarity."
—Financial Times
"Absorbing, informative, and entertaining."
―Kirkus (starred)
“A stellar exploration … Readers will be riveted.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Exquisite book is for all who have peered into the night sky pondering the mysteries of the universe … a mind-bending journey.”
—Booklist (starred)
“Eloquent … Science and space enthusiasts will revel in this journey through the cosmos. They will undoubtedly learn novel information along the way.”
—Library Journal
"In Alien Earths, Lisa Kaltenegger, a skillful educator, offers first-hand access to her expertise on the search for planets in the universe, and the life they may contain. Along the way, Lisa's breezy narrative style invites you to experience with her the challenges and joys of being a scientist on the frontier of discovery."
—Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History
"If you’ve ever wondered if we’re alone in the cosmos— and Dr. Kaltenegger is certain you have, start with Alien Earths. With her combined degrees in astronomy and engineering, she presents a primer on the geology, physics, chemistry, biology, and ultimately mathematics of places just like Earth— which she sets about seeking every (Earth) day. She’ll show you; the answer is in the sky, our window on the cosmos. Read on!"
—Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society (and former student of Carl Sagan)
"What a fascinating glimpse into the creative work of exobiologists, humankind's exciting search for life elsewhere in the universe, and the tantalizing facts we've learned thus far. I was enchanted."
—Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper's Wife
"An erudite and highly readable inside view of the science and emerging discoveries of this remarkable new era."
—Charles Cockell, author of Taxi from Another Planet, Professor of Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh
"In the grand tradition of Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, we now have a new tour guide to the cosmos. Professor Lisa Kaltenegger takes us along on the quest to solve one of the greatest mysteries of existence: Are we alone in the universe? In ALIEN EARTHS, Prof. Kaltenegger—one of the pioneers leading the way—reveals what we’ve already discovered, and even more breathtakingly, what we might find. "
—Steven Strogatz, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University, and author of Infinite Powers
"Do you want to prepare yourself for the next 'Copernican revolution'? Then read Lisa Kaltenegger's book! Fascinating."
—Michel Mayor, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Emeritus, Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva
"The odds are overwhelming that something’s alive out there. But will we ever see a sign of life on a planet circling a distant star? And, if we do, will we recognize it? This fascinating and tantalizing book points the way to YES."
—Alan Alda
"Effervescent with ideas and edge-of-your-seat discoveries, Alien Earths provides a front-row seat to the astonishing era we live."
—Caleb Scharf, Director of Astrobiology, Columbia University, author of The Zoomable Universe
"Lisa Kaltenegger is an international leader in the discovery and analysis of exoplanets...Moreover, she is a brilliant expositor. I eagerly await what will surely be a riveting book."
—Sir Martin John Rees, Fifteenth Astronomer Royal, bestselling author of If Science is to Save Us
"An engaging and personal book that couldn't be more up to date. Read Alien Earths, and feel your cosmic perspective shift just a little on its axis."
—Alastair Reynolds, science fiction writer and former ESA scientist
"In Kaltenegger’s exhilarating exploration of the state of the Earth-hunting art, she welcomes us into the latest strategies for finding life at interstellar distances. Kaltenegger is that precious rarity, a leading scientist with an infectious passion for her subject and the talent to connect. Read this book and then gaze up at the night sky to find the stars sparkling even brighter with possibility."
—Ann Druyan, co-creator of Contact, co-writer Cosmos: Possible Worlds
03/01/2024
If there is life on other planets, what might it look like and what are the odds of humanity discovering it? These are the type of questions that astronomer Kaltenegger (director, Carl Sagan Institute To Search for Life in the Cosmos, Cornell Univ.) asks in this book. Eloquent prose enhances the stories of her travels, her studies, and the places and experiences that formed her as a scientist. She leads readers to ask the right questions for themselves and to realize that, as appealing as the future depicted in Star Trek might be, it is unlikely to become a reality, due to the constraints of physics. Still, readers will enjoy this journey through the imaginings and realities of space exploration and discovery. Kaltenegger teaches readers to think of planets both in and outside of the solar system in a different light. As a delightful bonus, the notes at the end of the book include the playlist of the golden record that is onboard the Voyager spacecraft. VERDICT Science and space enthusiasts will revel in this journey through the cosmos. They will undoubtedly learn novel information along the way.—Jennifer Moore
★ 2023-10-14
A leading astronomer blends knowledge and enthusiasm to show how the universe is slowly being revealed.
This book is an excursion that turns the esoteric field of stellar cartography into an engaging and entertaining story. Kaltenegger, the director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell, has a knack for starting with a few simple principles and then adding layers of increasing complexity. She believes the discipline of astronomy is at a turning point, mainly due to the new NASA James Webb Space Telescope, which has provided a new level of stargazing clarity and distance. The revolutionary telescope has led to new ways “to explore the universe around us by reading the message encoded in light,” a process that Kaltenegger explains in jargon-free terms. Information gleaned from spacecraft travel has also been valuable. Scientists have discovered a host of exoplanets, and the author looks at a handful that could harbor some form of life. She also examines possibilities in our own solar system, with Mars and the moons Titan, Europa, and Enceladus being contenders in the search for organisms—although they would probably be microbial. Kaltenegger clearly loves her subject and often injects flashes of dry wit and personal experience. She devotes a chapter to planets that have appeared in science fiction, having some fun with probabilities and impossibilities. She likes to think that there’s intelligent life somewhere out there, but she admits that the hunt has yet to yield positive results. Regardless, humanity has so far barely scratched the surface of the galaxy. A bonus of the book is an appendix of websites offering further information and even the opportunity for citizen scientists to propose names for new exoplanets.
Kaltenegger’s exploration of nearby and faraway space is absorbing, informative, and entertaining.
