Search for Life in the Universe (2nd Edition) - Softcover

Goldsmith, Donald; Owen, Tobias

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201569493 ISBN 13: 9780201569490

Publisher: Addison Wesley, 1992

Synopsis

The authors present the most important facts about astronomy from a uniquely engaging viewpoint: how can we find other advanced civilizations? To address the question, Goldsmith and Owen provide a fascinating description of the history and structure of the universe, and then consider current ideas about the origin and cosmic distribution of life. Their book is an up-to-the-minute account of our understanding of the universe, of the likelihood of life throughout the cosmos, and of the ways in which advanced civilizations can make contact. World-renowned authority on extraterrestrial life Donald Goldsmith gives the reader a solid introduction to the subject, and the revision includes new information from all areas of current astronomical research. No science background is required, and the mathematics level is high- school algebra.

About this title

About the Author

Donald Goldsmith was the science editor and co-writer of the PBS television series The Astronomers and the co-writer of NOVA's Is Anybody Out There? with Lily Tomlin. He has written and edited 15 books on astronomy, including The Runaway Universe, Worlds Unnumbered, Supernova!, and The Hunt for Life on Mars. Donald Goldsmith received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley, and has taught astronomy courses there and at other institutions, including Stanford University, Cornell University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has received the lifetime achievement award in popularizing astronomy from the American Astronomical Society, the science writing award from the American Institute of Physics, and the Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts award for increasing public awareness of astronomy from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Tobias Owen ranks among the world's leading experts on the solar system. He was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his work on the Martian atmosphere with the Viking Landers in 1976 and led the group of Voyager scientists who discovered the rings of Jupiter in 1979. He is currently a member of scientific teams on the Galileo, Nozomi, CONTOUR, DS-1 and Cassini-Huygens missions. With David Morrison, he co-authored a college text, The Planetary System, and has written over 250 scientific and popular articles. He is professor of astronomy at the University of Hawaii where he studies planets, satellites, and comets with the giant telescopes on Mauna Kea.

Review

A welcome and timely update of what has become a classic text. --Karen B. Kwitter, Williams College

Quite possibly the best astrobiology text available. --International Journal of Astrobiology

Teachers and students everywhere of wildly popular courses on life in the universe should rejoice to see this. --Frank Shu, University of California at Berkeley

About this edition

• Publisher: Addison Wesley
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0201569493
• ISBN 13: 9780201569490
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 519