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Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth
Technologically there’s never been a better time to search for a new earth beyond our solar system.
Professor Danielle George examines exoplanets in the so-called habitable zone. Those that have liquid water. And maybe even life.
She wonders how we might be able to take the our first ever high resolution picture of an exoplanet using the microchips found in mobile phones. And she meets world-leading astrophysicists to ask if within our lifetimes humans might step foot on an earth-like planet.
An ITN production for Audible Originals.
Professor Danielle George examines exoplanets in the so-called habitable zone. Those that have liquid water. And maybe even life.
She wonders how we might be able to take the our first ever high resolution picture of an exoplanet using the microchips found in mobile phones. And she meets world-leading astrophysicists to ask if within our lifetimes humans might step foot on an earth-like planet.
An ITN production for Audible Originals.
Audible Audio
Published May 20, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 1, 2020
This was a short six-part podcast series that was free with my audible subscription. It’s not really my area of interest but it’s good to try different things and I knew my husband would like it, so we listened to the whole thing in the car on the three hour journey home today. Hosted by English astronomer & TV presenter Danielle George, this describes the explosion of interest in exoplanets - essentially celestial bodies which have the right composition and conditions to potentially sustain life. Advances in technology have allowed scientists to discover a surprising number of planets and moons that could one day become contenders to become Earth 2 - important for when we over-run, exhaust or destroy the one we’ve got.
Quoting famous names such as Stephen Hawking and Patrick Moore, and interviewing a number of current experts in the field, she describes the key features such planets would require, how we go about detecting and analysing them, past and current space missions, the possibility of discovering evidence of extra-terrestrial life, and even how “citizen scientists” can get involved in SETI’s search. She’s easy to listen to, and her enthusiasm is endearing, although I found I had to turn the speed down from my usual 1.2 to 1 to make her Geordie accent tolerable.
It was all quite interesting and I feel like I understand the subject a bit better - and will hopefully retain some key facts for future pub quizzes, but don’t ask me to explain exactly how it all works! While this is aimed at adults it would also be appropriate for older teenagers - who at least have a hope of these discoveries making a meaningful impact within their lifetime - while the best I can hope for is apparently a photo of one...
Quoting famous names such as Stephen Hawking and Patrick Moore, and interviewing a number of current experts in the field, she describes the key features such planets would require, how we go about detecting and analysing them, past and current space missions, the possibility of discovering evidence of extra-terrestrial life, and even how “citizen scientists” can get involved in SETI’s search. She’s easy to listen to, and her enthusiasm is endearing, although I found I had to turn the speed down from my usual 1.2 to 1 to make her Geordie accent tolerable.
It was all quite interesting and I feel like I understand the subject a bit better - and will hopefully retain some key facts for future pub quizzes, but don’t ask me to explain exactly how it all works! While this is aimed at adults it would also be appropriate for older teenagers - who at least have a hope of these discoveries making a meaningful impact within their lifetime - while the best I can hope for is apparently a photo of one...
June 19, 2020
In the words of Tim Curry "SPACE!"
August 30, 2020
Exoplanets (planets beyond our solar system circling other stars) and the work being done to search for others. Includes an interesting section on how "Citizen Scientists" can help with the search.
http://exoplanets.org/
http://exoplanets.org/
June 14, 2020
More of a 6 part podcast than an audiobook but quite interesting. Talks about what is currently known and also the big questions being asked regarding: exoplanets, how they can be found, whether they have conditions that life could survive, whether there's life on them (simple or complex), whether we should become a multi-planet species or not, etc etc
August 11, 2020
The never ending question of presence of an alien life, the search for another earth, the dark energy, the ever accelerating expansion of our universe and many more aspects have been discussed in this mini podcast. The narration and interviews from the great astrophysicits spending their nights and days to explore more of the unknown space, were quite exhilarating. This podcast has left me wanting for more on the subject of exoplanets and space as whole.
December 18, 2020
As a lifelong sci-fi fan interested in the search for extraterrestrial life, this one did not disappoint.
Author Danielle George is a Professor of Radio frequency engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning at the University of Manchester in the UK. George became the 139th President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology in October 2020, according to her Wikipedia page.
Danielle George :
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth is presented in audio format. The series is 6 Episodes, each ~30mins. The episodes are:
1) The Basics
2) The Search for Life
3) The Exoplanet Pioneer
4) SETI The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
5) The Drake Equation
6) Humans Versus Robots
The search for exoplanets is a relatively new field; George tells the listener that efforts to locate these planets is only about 30 years old. She also tells the listener that there are possibly 10s of millions of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way Galaxy alone.
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth continues on, telling the listener about many related extraterrestrial topics, including the Fermi paradox, Panspermia, the Drake Equation, the Kepler space telescope, and "Berserker" hypothesis, or von Neumann probe.
Episode 3 talks about the Kepler space telescope; it found over 2,300 planets, and identified another 4,000 more possibilities for Earth-like planets capable of sustaining life.
George also tells the listener that the search for extraterrestrial life does not only extend to exoplanets; astronomers are also looking for exomoons that could foster life, as well.
The Kepler space telescope :
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth was a super-interesting presentation. Professor George did a great job putting this one together. I enjoyed this short series, and would recommend it to others.
4 stars.
Author Danielle George is a Professor of Radio frequency engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning at the University of Manchester in the UK. George became the 139th President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology in October 2020, according to her Wikipedia page.
Danielle George :
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth is presented in audio format. The series is 6 Episodes, each ~30mins. The episodes are:
1) The Basics
2) The Search for Life
3) The Exoplanet Pioneer
4) SETI The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
5) The Drake Equation
6) Humans Versus Robots
The search for exoplanets is a relatively new field; George tells the listener that efforts to locate these planets is only about 30 years old. She also tells the listener that there are possibly 10s of millions of Earth-like planets in our Milky Way Galaxy alone.
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth continues on, telling the listener about many related extraterrestrial topics, including the Fermi paradox, Panspermia, the Drake Equation, the Kepler space telescope, and "Berserker" hypothesis, or von Neumann probe.
Episode 3 talks about the Kepler space telescope; it found over 2,300 planets, and identified another 4,000 more possibilities for Earth-like planets capable of sustaining life.
George also tells the listener that the search for extraterrestrial life does not only extend to exoplanets; astronomers are also looking for exomoons that could foster life, as well.
The Kepler space telescope :
Exoplanets: The Search for Another Earth was a super-interesting presentation. Professor George did a great job putting this one together. I enjoyed this short series, and would recommend it to others.
4 stars.
January 28, 2021
— • 3.5 • —
This felt like a really nice follow up to Lucy In the Sky which I listened to beforehand. That series focused on the new space age, discussing topics such as space tourism, space laws, mining on the moon, and colonising Mars. All things that will hopefully occur within the next few decades. This series however explores a vaster scale such as the search for life, from our own solar system to exoplanets in galaxies many light years away, plus the possibilities of one day stepping on an Earth like planet.
It also has a very similar tone to Lucy in the Sky, informative but also conversational, featuring plenty of interviews, audio clips and music in the same way.
However production wise, the audio for some of these sound clips, music and interviews were a bit low quality (maybe that was just because of Audibles compressing) plus some clips seemed to originally be from videos, either news reports or someone saying something like ‘and if you look here..’ I know I said I quite enjoyed the fact these series were like listening to a YouTube video, but I didn’t mean literally! I don’t want to be wondering if I should actually be watching a video instead 😂 Overall though these weren’t anything too annoying.
In the end I’ll rate this a 3.5 which is a bit less than what I gave Lucy in the Sky because this one didn’t feel as well organised and it had some repetitive moments. I also generally just preferred the topics in Lucy’s, they felt much closer to home and as though they could happen in the next few years, rather than the ‘what if’ of discovering and exploring exoplanets.
Still a dope series though, and I was certainly in my element!
This felt like a really nice follow up to Lucy In the Sky which I listened to beforehand. That series focused on the new space age, discussing topics such as space tourism, space laws, mining on the moon, and colonising Mars. All things that will hopefully occur within the next few decades. This series however explores a vaster scale such as the search for life, from our own solar system to exoplanets in galaxies many light years away, plus the possibilities of one day stepping on an Earth like planet.
It also has a very similar tone to Lucy in the Sky, informative but also conversational, featuring plenty of interviews, audio clips and music in the same way.
However production wise, the audio for some of these sound clips, music and interviews were a bit low quality (maybe that was just because of Audibles compressing) plus some clips seemed to originally be from videos, either news reports or someone saying something like ‘and if you look here..’ I know I said I quite enjoyed the fact these series were like listening to a YouTube video, but I didn’t mean literally! I don’t want to be wondering if I should actually be watching a video instead 😂 Overall though these weren’t anything too annoying.
In the end I’ll rate this a 3.5 which is a bit less than what I gave Lucy in the Sky because this one didn’t feel as well organised and it had some repetitive moments. I also generally just preferred the topics in Lucy’s, they felt much closer to home and as though they could happen in the next few years, rather than the ‘what if’ of discovering and exploring exoplanets.
Still a dope series though, and I was certainly in my element!
July 15, 2020
This is a fascinating subject, and it was nice to hear actually reputable scientists discuss such ideas as inhabitable planets and the potential for alien life. Nevertheless, though I cannot fault the production or enthusiasm, this all came off as just a bit too ... how can I put it? Excitable?
Danielle George came off too starry-eyed and "fan-girl" to me. This is actually ones of those cases where I would have preferred as more serious, even if dryer, systematic exploration of the topic.
Danielle George came off too starry-eyed and "fan-girl" to me. This is actually ones of those cases where I would have preferred as more serious, even if dryer, systematic exploration of the topic.
October 29, 2020
The author raises a host of questions about the universe, such as what is the likelihood of life on other planets, should we keep quiet or let the potential aliens know we are here, who is better fit to explore the universe in search of exoplanets: humans or aliens? You can learn from this audiobook how many exoplanets have already been discovered and what the methods of their discovery are. You can also find here some interesting information about the telescopes, the SETI system, the Drake Equation etc.
January 10, 2024
Short but succinct, this was free with my Audible Subscription.
Discussing, with relevant experts, the finding of Exodus-Planets using improving technology, what this means for humans and their search for Earth 2.0 and whether it’ll be organic species who first encounter aliens, or more likely will it be technology?
A really interesting dive into this topic, it was simply done but done well. Space has always fascinated me and this may have just reawakened my interest in our Universe and the unknown.
Discussing, with relevant experts, the finding of Exodus-Planets using improving technology, what this means for humans and their search for Earth 2.0 and whether it’ll be organic species who first encounter aliens, or more likely will it be technology?
A really interesting dive into this topic, it was simply done but done well. Space has always fascinated me and this may have just reawakened my interest in our Universe and the unknown.
August 12, 2021
Fascinating and entertaining. A great overview of the whats and hows and whys of the search for exoplanets and intelligent life out there. Also a little toe dip into the shoulds. It was interesting to me to realize that it’s only been 35ish years since we found the first evidence of planets beyond our solar system. It’s amazing how much our knowledge of the universe has changed in the time since I last took an astronomy class.
December 27, 2021
Fascinating subject, interesting listen. A bit repetitive. I'm really not sure that "curiosity is what makes us human", which I heard stated a dozen times.
Astronomers diving into social science questions at some points. Did not mention the question of who would own land on another plant, which from a social science perspective is surely one of the most interesting, and reflects the current pressing question of land ownership on present day Earth.
Astronomers diving into social science questions at some points. Did not mention the question of who would own land on another plant, which from a social science perspective is surely one of the most interesting, and reflects the current pressing question of land ownership on present day Earth.
June 28, 2020
Fascinating topic re life on other planets, but the author/narrator was a bit annoying for me. The bit at the end about looking after the planet we have was typical of the kind of climate change patronisation that scientists all too often come out with. The whole thing implied there would be no humans anyway so why bother about the planet!
August 8, 2020
Interesting content, but presented in a very odd manner. The music was annoying and unneeded and they sometimes spoke in a bit of a patronising manner. If you are listening to this, you likely already have some scientific interest so do not need it dumbed down.
August 26, 2020
Pretty good summary of the history of the search for Exoplanets, as well as for what we can expect in the next few decades. More of a summary of overview than an in-depth exploration of exoplanets though, but recommended to anyone interested in astronomy.
September 9, 2020
A bit underwhelming given how exciting this topic really could be.
A bunch of interviews talking about things that almost everyone who has been following this topic would know.
No references to lesser known yet interesting counterpoints.
All in all, meh!
A bunch of interviews talking about things that almost everyone who has been following this topic would know.
No references to lesser known yet interesting counterpoints.
All in all, meh!
June 1, 2020
There is a planet with four suns. It's a double binary star system. Two stars are orbiting each other, both pairs around common center of gravity. One planet orbits one of the binary systems. 🤯
June 8, 2020
This six episode series is more of a podcast than an audiobook, but is pretty much essential listening for anyone with an interest in space exploration and the search for alien life
July 6, 2020
This was super interesting and the enthusiasm of the narrator was amazing.
October 23, 2020
Noddy piece of edu-trash. don't bother.
December 14, 2020
Very interesting and well put together. The interviews and information is not one sided and it is obvious that more than one viewpoint has been covered. A series to really get you thinking.
June 14, 2021
بودكاست عن الكواكب خارح محموعتنا الشمسية، ممتع، لا يحتوي على الكثير من التفاصيل ولا يحتاج الكثير من التركيز.
January 1, 2023
I’m really into space and this was really neat to listen to. It’s a few years old so some info has happened like the Web telescope but really enjoy this.
December 5, 2020
I'm giving it 3 stars because I suppose it might be more interesting and engaging to someone not as deeply familiar with the topic as myself.
It covers most of the important topics. Too bad it doesn't mention CoRoT mission and the first direct image in more details. Also I think the "cold war" between the US and the Swiss team (before space missions) might have been cool to talk about 😉
It covers most of the important topics. Too bad it doesn't mention CoRoT mission and the first direct image in more details. Also I think the "cold war" between the US and the Swiss team (before space missions) might have been cool to talk about 😉
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews