Worlds Unnumbered: The Search for Extrasolar Planets

Goldsmith, Donald, Dr

ISBN 10: 0935702970 / ISBN 13: 9780935702972

Published by University Science Books, Sausalito, CA, 1997

About this Item

Sewn binding. Paper over boards. xii, [2], 237, [5] p. Further Reading. Glossary. Index. Jon Lomberg (born 1948) is an American space artist and science journalist. He was Carl Sagan's principal artistic collaborator for more than twenty years from 1972 through 1996. In 1998, the International Astronomical Union officially named Asteroid Lomberg in recognition of his achievements in science communication. In 1972, Lomberg showed some of his paintings to astronomer Carl Sagan, who then asked him to illustrate The Cosmic Connection. This was the beginning of their quarter century of collaboration on many projects, including the Cosmos series (for which Lomberg created the talent pool and as chief artist won a Primetime Emmy Award); the Cosmos book; Broca's Brain; NASA's interstellar Voyager Golden Record; the original cover art for Sagan's novel Contact; and the opening sequence from Earth through the Solar System and its galaxy and beyond for the Contact film. At Sagan's request, Lomberg designed the original sailing ship logo for the Planetary Society in 1981. Very good in very good dust jacket. DJ has slight wear and soiling.

Seller Inventory # 71747

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Worlds Unnumbered: The Search for Extrasolar Planets
• Publisher: University Science Books, Sausalito, CA
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0935702970
• ISBN 13: 9780935702972
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lomberg, Jon
• Edition: Reprint. Second printing [stated].

About this title

Synopsis

Discusses the century-long search for planets outside our solar system, including the October 1995 announcement of the first discovered by astronomers and an explanation of where more planets might be found.

Reviews

In this golden age of astronomy, new discoveries have proliferated in the past year: life on Mars, an ocean on Europa, and planets around other stars. On the heels of Goldsmith's The Hunt for Life on Mars comes this exciting account of the new planets. Because they cannot be seen, sophisticated methods are being utilized to study these planets, methods that Goldsmith cogently explains in terms of the instruments and reasoning used to claim a new discovery. The burning curiosity, of course, is whether the newcomers could support life: the answer is no; most are gigantic and too close to their stars, and an earth-size planet found orbiting a pulsar would obviously be a crispy critter. Such facts surprised astronomers, upsetting their favored theory of planet formation, possible revisions of which Goldsmith reports with the enthusiasm and clarity essential to popular works. Two dozen colorplates, some imagining the appearance of the new planets, gussy up a wonderful science acquisition for libraries. Gilbert Taylor