Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth - Hardcover

Adam Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393609014 ISBN 13: 9780393609011

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2018

Synopsis

"...a concise and insightful read, which, aside from being very difficult to put down, will leave you wanting to learn more about the potential for life amongst the stars." BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Light of the Stars tells a radically new story about what we are: one world in a universe awash in planets. Building on his widely discussed scientific papers and The New York Times op-eds, astrophysicist Adam Frank shows that not only is it likely that alien civilisations have existed many times before but that many of them have driven their own worlds into dangerous eras of change. He explains how dust storms on Mars, the greenhouse effect on Venus, Gaia Theory, the threat of nuclear winter, and efforts to prove or disprove the plurality of worlds from Aristotle to Copernicus to Carl Sagan have contributed to our understanding of our place in the universe and the growing challenge of climate change. And he explores what may be the largest question of all: if there has been life on other worlds, what its presence can tell us about our own fate.

About this title

About the Author

Adam Frank is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester. He is the cofounder of NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog, as well as being an on-air commentator for All Things Considered and a contributor to the New York Times. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393609014
• ISBN 13: 9780393609011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272