Jayawardhana, Ray

Princeton. 2011. Princeton University Press. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 9780691142548. 288 pages. hardcover. keywords: Astronomy Planets. FROM THE PUBLISHER - In Strange New Worlds, renowned astronomer Ray Jayawardhana brings news from the front lines of the epic quest to find extrasolar planets - and alien life - beyond our solar system. Only in the last fifteen years, after millennia of speculation, have astronomers begun to discover planets around other stars - hundreds in fact, but the hunt to find a true Earth-like world goes on. In this book, Jayawardhana vividly recounts the stories of the scientists and the remarkable breakthroughs that ushered in this extraordinary age of exploration. He describes the latest findings - including his own - that are challenging our view of the cosmos and casting new light on the origins and evolution of planets and planetary systems. He reveals how technology is rapidly advancing to support direct observations of Jupiter-like gas giants and super-Earths - rocky planets several times the mass of our own planet - and how astronomers use biomarkers to seek possible life on other worlds. Strange New Worlds provides an insider's look at the cutting-edge science of today's planet hunters, our prospects for discovering alien life, and the debates and controversies at the forefront of extrasolar-planet research. inventory #37849 ISBN: 9780691142548.