What do you think?
Rate this book
Planet Quest: The Epic Discovery of Alien Solar Systems
An astronomer chronicles the momentous ten-month period of discovery in 1995 and 1996 that revealed no less than five new solar systems in the universe and discusses the profound implications of that discovery in terms of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 14, 2024
I can't help but feel a little duped by this book.
I was lured in primarily by the subtitle: 'The Epic Discovery of Alien Solar Systems'. Of course, that does sound suspiciously sensational, and in such cases where a book has such a screaming headline of a title, you can be sure there's a reasonable chance you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel (just look at Selected by Extraterrestrials, one of the worst books I have ever read). But, I mean, what kind of title is Planet Quest to get lured by alone? It sounds like one of those campy 1960s sci-fi pulps for children. Or maybe a mid-90s educational PC game that comes free with your first family desktop computer. So, forgive me for thinking I was in for an entertaining if likely doubtful romp through supposedly inhabited alien planets. I was in the mood for something silly like that, I guess.
(I also should add that when I decided to read this book, I hadn't actually seen the front cover, which for some reasons has a different subtitle all over again, and one that is less misleading - that is, 'The Definitive Guide to Scientific Exploration of the Universe and the Search for Life on Other Planets'. It's much more of a mouthful, so I suppose the publisher or someone fought to have another, catchier title. It was a perfect trap for someone like me, who happened to choose this merely based off the title, which I had written down on my extensive (and so precious) list of online books available through Internet Archive).
But whatever the case, I can hardly actually complain. Turns out the book is a much more worthwhile one, in that it is a wholly respectable, factual account of the history of scientific discovery, accompanied by conflicting theories about the universe - indeed, mostly having little or nothing to do with the question of extraterrestrial life, but more the factors behind our own planet's viability, which does go a long way to explaining what alien planets might look like, but in a more indirect way.
The book was good, but a long way from perfect. Some small gripes were that too much seemed to be focussed on the many feuds, backstabbings and petty rivalries between our scientific pioneers. There was also a bit of an anti-religious tone underlying much of the book. The writer, Ken Croswell, seems to want this to be noticed. The very prologue is a vivid retelling of the case of Giordano Bruno, a more than regrettable story about a man of science who was - to put it in the oversimplified form told by those who venerate the secular saint - martyred by the Catholic Church for espousing heliocentrism and an infinite universe, the latter idea technically not being the current consensus, even if, practically speaking, as far as us humans will ever be concerned, the universe may as well be infinite.
Such is my understanding anyway. Don't hang me for it. I'm pretty sure it was Stephen Hawking himself in Brief Answers to the Big Questions who elaborates on the "likely" theory of the Big Crunch, which necessitates the ever-expanding universe, however incomprehensibly vast, to have an outer limit (or curvature or whatever the hell), which will one day double back in on itself and effectively ruin our day.
I was lured in primarily by the subtitle: 'The Epic Discovery of Alien Solar Systems'. Of course, that does sound suspiciously sensational, and in such cases where a book has such a screaming headline of a title, you can be sure there's a reasonable chance you will be scraping the bottom of the barrel (just look at Selected by Extraterrestrials, one of the worst books I have ever read). But, I mean, what kind of title is Planet Quest to get lured by alone? It sounds like one of those campy 1960s sci-fi pulps for children. Or maybe a mid-90s educational PC game that comes free with your first family desktop computer. So, forgive me for thinking I was in for an entertaining if likely doubtful romp through supposedly inhabited alien planets. I was in the mood for something silly like that, I guess.
(I also should add that when I decided to read this book, I hadn't actually seen the front cover, which for some reasons has a different subtitle all over again, and one that is less misleading - that is, 'The Definitive Guide to Scientific Exploration of the Universe and the Search for Life on Other Planets'. It's much more of a mouthful, so I suppose the publisher or someone fought to have another, catchier title. It was a perfect trap for someone like me, who happened to choose this merely based off the title, which I had written down on my extensive (and so precious) list of online books available through Internet Archive).
But whatever the case, I can hardly actually complain. Turns out the book is a much more worthwhile one, in that it is a wholly respectable, factual account of the history of scientific discovery, accompanied by conflicting theories about the universe - indeed, mostly having little or nothing to do with the question of extraterrestrial life, but more the factors behind our own planet's viability, which does go a long way to explaining what alien planets might look like, but in a more indirect way.
The book was good, but a long way from perfect. Some small gripes were that too much seemed to be focussed on the many feuds, backstabbings and petty rivalries between our scientific pioneers. There was also a bit of an anti-religious tone underlying much of the book. The writer, Ken Croswell, seems to want this to be noticed. The very prologue is a vivid retelling of the case of Giordano Bruno, a more than regrettable story about a man of science who was - to put it in the oversimplified form told by those who venerate the secular saint - martyred by the Catholic Church for espousing heliocentrism and an infinite universe, the latter idea technically not being the current consensus, even if, practically speaking, as far as us humans will ever be concerned, the universe may as well be infinite.
Such is my understanding anyway. Don't hang me for it. I'm pretty sure it was Stephen Hawking himself in Brief Answers to the Big Questions who elaborates on the "likely" theory of the Big Crunch, which necessitates the ever-expanding universe, however incomprehensibly vast, to have an outer limit (or curvature or whatever the hell), which will one day double back in on itself and effectively ruin our day.
August 30, 2015
For all who always wanted to know what astrophysicist of today are discussing and looking for in the sky, but did nor know where to start, then this is THE book.
It is difficult to find a better, easier and shorter introduction to one of the most exciting stories of one of the biggest challenges facing the human race
It is difficult to find a better, easier and shorter introduction to one of the most exciting stories of one of the biggest challenges facing the human race
January 7, 2014
A great book about exoplanets written when this was a fairly new topic (back when the number of planets discovered outside of our solar system was still in the double-digits).
It does a good job of explaining the science behind the detection/discovery techniques (e.g., using multiple telescopes to see further than a single telescope can; detecting the wobble of a star by its largest close-orbit planet). Not exactly for the average person, but an amateur astronomy fan (i.e., someone who already knows what they are talking about on History/Science Channel shows) will enjoy this book, even though it is a little dated now that discovered exoplanets number in the many hundreds.
It does a good job of explaining the science behind the detection/discovery techniques (e.g., using multiple telescopes to see further than a single telescope can; detecting the wobble of a star by its largest close-orbit planet). Not exactly for the average person, but an amateur astronomy fan (i.e., someone who already knows what they are talking about on History/Science Channel shows) will enjoy this book, even though it is a little dated now that discovered exoplanets number in the many hundreds.
Read
March 16, 2016This rang my LOVED bell because of how it reminds us to dream not only of what's real but of what's possible -- and as we dream to remain profoundly humble about all we do not know. I trust that's where the excitement lies for all of us.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews