Review by Choice Review
As the headlines tell of the discovery of yet another planetary system, it is sometimes difficult to remember the long struggle that enabled astronomers to finally achieve success. Croswell's timely book brings us the history of that search, beginning with the speculations of Copernican times and ending with the application of such powerful modern techniques as radio pulse timing, optical precision position measurements, and Doppler velocity changes. In between are several chapters with an excellent description of our own solar system. The book is well planned and generally well written, although occasionally repetitious, perhaps in an attempt to make each chapter self-contained. The treatment of the technical issues, a combination of thoughtful prose and useful diagrams, is especially good. The thorough nature of the presentation coupled with the imaginative use of quotations from scientists involved in the story ensures that the book will not quickly be outdated, even though more planetary systems will surely be found. Extensive glossary; chapter notes and references. Recommended as both a comprehensive introduction to the subject and a source of information about the solar system and neighboring stars. General readers; lower-division undergraduates. D. E. Hogg; National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Croswell, following his story of the Milky Way (The Alchemy of the Heavens, 1995), addresses a most popular topic in astronomy, the planets beyond Pluto. Although Croswell was beaten in the publishing race by Donald Goldsmith (Worlds Unnumbered [BKL Je 1 & 15 97]), his book is distinctive from Goldsmith's in two respects: a fourth of its text concerns our solar system, and it offers somewhat more technical detail about the hunt for extrasolar globes, showering the reader with tables, graphs, and diagrams. The graphics depict the behavior of neighboring stars from which astrometers (astronomers who specialize in distance measurements) would infer the presence of planets; indeed, proving a detection is so difficult that there were several false claims before the first confirmed extrasolar planet was announced in 1993. The next frontier, finding an earthlike planet, induces Croswell to muse on the requirements of interstellar travel, a futuristic prospect that concludes this informative explanation of why contemporary astronomy is so exciting. --Gilbert Taylor
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a book as rich in story as it is in science, Croswell (The Alchemy of the Heavens) takes readers on an epic journey through time and space. The story opens in Rome on February 17, 1600, where defrocked priest Giordano Bruno is being led to his execution; it ends on the threshold of interstellar exploration. To Bruno, who lost his life for proclaiming an infinite universe filled with stars and planets beyond imagining, science was not the enemy of religion but the tool of revelation of God's infinite splendor. To Croswell, the actions of Bruno's accusers demonstrated what they most feared: the insignificance of their individual lives. This bookfilled with stories of disappointment and triumph, of missed opportunity and unexpected discoveryrecounts four centuries of intertwining quests for grand ideas and individual glory by scientists and philosophers struggling to make sense of our place in the cosmos. It tells of three contentious solar planets "discovered" at various times: one (Vulcan, inside Mercury's orbit) was proven not to exist; one (Planet X, beyond Neptune and Pluto) was once avidly sought but now seems chimerical; and one (Pluto) may simply be part of a "cometary belt" beyond Neptune. Tales of scientific competition and serendipitous discovery, premature claims and heroic admissions of error mark the quest to become the 20th-century Columbus, the discoverer of the first extra-solar world. Soon the number of known planets beyond the solar system will far exceed the nine in our small neighborhood. We are poised, Croswell shows in his exceptional book, on an era of planet quest that promises to propagate the best and worst of humanity to other stars and worlds. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
After summarizing the history of the discovery of the outer planets in our solar system, science writer Croswell (The Alchemy of the Heavens, LJ 4/15/95) moves on to the excitingand apparently authenticrecent discoveries of planets revolving around stars other than our Sun. He tells of a variety of premature "discoveries" that could not be confirmed and of more soundly based findings in the 1990s. He explains well the scientific basis of the search for remote planets and is candid about the rivalries and disagreements among the ambitious researchers in this field. Despite a speculative last chapter on the prospects for interstellar travel, Croswell wisely concentrates in general on the science (not the science fiction) of planetary searching. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lively, timely history of the search for extrasolar planets- -today's hottest astronomical game. Croswell, an astronomer and journalist (The Alchemy of the Heavens, 1995), relates how, beginning with William Herschel's 1781 discovery of Uranus, the search for new planets became a holy grail for astronomers; Neptune, Pluto, and the asteroids followed in due course. (``Planet X,'' believed by some astronomers to account for perturbations in the orbit of Uranus, remains undiscovered.) But planets beyond our own system seemed too remote for even the best telescopes to spot--the nearest star system being 25 trillion miles away, and others millions of times farther than that. At that distance, only indirect methods can apply, in particular, measuring minute fluctuations in the motions of stars, which a sufficiently large planet would cause. Such fluctuations have been reported, and ascribed to distant planets, since the 1940s. But until very recently, better observations have usually deflated the discoverers' claims. (One prominent astronomer's claim of periodic motions of Barnard's Star was finally explained by a periodic wobble in his telescope.) The space age made newer techniques available. A large planet would be expected to emit large amounts of infrared light, and when the bright star Vega was found to be unexpectedly energetic in the infrared, it was taken by some as evidence of planets. (A ring of dust is the more likely answer.) These and other false alarms were the entire story until 1995, when two Swiss astronomers reported a large object in orbit around 51 Pegasi, now considered the first observation of an extrasolar planet. Croswell provides engaging portraits of the astronomers (from Giordano Bruno through Geoffrey Marcy, one of those who discovered 51 Pegasi's planet) as well as a clear, lively summary of the scientific material. A thoroughly readable addition to the astronomy bookshelf. (illustrations)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
