Looking for Life in the Universe [Hardcover]

Ellen Jackson (Author), Nic Bishop (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Scientists in the Field Series

Human beings have always looked at the heavens and asked: Are we alone? Is there life elsewhere in the universe? What is that life like? Unfortunately, people can’t actually travel to other solar systems. Even the closest stars are too far away to visit.
Today, astrophysicists such as Jill Tarter are looking for other ways to search for extraterrestrial life. Jill is the director of Project Phoenix at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. SETI stands for “Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.” Twice a year, Jill and her team travel to the mountains of Puerto Rico where they use the world’s largest radio telescope to examine nearby stars. They search the sky, listening for radio signals that, if found and verified, would provide strong evidence that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe.

Author Ellen Jackson and photographer Nic Bishop introduce us to a dedicated scientist and her thrilling, rigorous, and awe-inspiring work in the field.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-What is it like to seek life elsewhere in the universe? Astrophysicist Dr. Jill Tarter, Director of the Phoenix Project of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the woman Carl Sagan based his character Ellie Arroway on in his best-selling novel Contact, does just that. While some of her job involves long hours spent studying the painstakingly detailed output of a radio telescope, her work involves much more. The bulk of the text and the large, dynamic color photographs concentrate on the spectacular radio telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico and the work of the scientist and her colleagues at this location. Throughout, Tarter's enthusiasm for her field is clear. There are many books on the current search for life outside Earth, such as Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest's colorful Is Anybody Out There? (DK, 1998) and Kim McDonald's Life in Outer Space (RSVP, 2000). Few focus on the scientists as Jackson does. An exciting, visually awesome look at frontier science.
Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. The newest entry in this terrific series takes readers considerably further into the "field" than many of its predecessors, with a profile of Dr. Jill Tarter, astrophysicist and a research leader at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute. Jackson follows Tarter through one of her semiannual tours to the mammoth radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where the shifts begin at midnight, and receptors sensitive enough to detect the night-light-size transmitter aboard Pioneer 10, seven billion miles out, comb millions of frequencies in tiny portions of the sky for hints of a regular signal. (No luck so far, but stay tuned.) In addition to tracing Tarter's career, which developed from a childhood interest in engineering, Jackson presents the possibility of life on two other bodies in our solar system, and closes with an optimistic look at SETI's future. Bishop's color photos mix views of scientists at work both indoors and outdoors, along with evocative photo montages and lucid diagrams that help to explain what the researchers are looking for, and why. Readers will come away with a clear sense of the lure of this frustrating but exciting endeavor, and with the help of the resources cited at the back of the book, they can not only learn more about it but also participate in it directly. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; Library Binding edition (September 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618128948
• ISBN-13: 978-0618128945
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WHO: Ellen B. Jackson

WHAT: An award-winning author of 55+ fiction and nonfiction books for children.

WHEN: Born in the days of woolly mammoths, I eventually grew up to be a teacher, counselor, book-lover and writer.

WHERE: I live in Santa Barbara near a very nice beach, ideal for beach-combing and canine stick throwing.

WORKS: Recent books include THE MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE, about supernovae and dark energy (a Golden Kite honor book), and EARTH MOTHER, a timeless tale about the circle of life (three starred reviews).

VISIT: www.ellenjackson.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Searching, always searching..., November 9, 2009

By 

Madigan McGillicuddy "Librarian" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Looking for Life in the Universe (Hardcover)

Packed with facts, much of the information is presented in terms that youngsters can understand, i.e. "It would take 10 billion bowls of cereal to fill [the telescope's dish] to the brim." Part of the "Scientists in the Field" series and told from a third person perspective, Jill Tarter, director of SETI (Search for ExtraTerrrestrial Intelligence) and the woman whom Contact by Carl Sagan is loosely based on is heavily featured throughout the book. Many of the colorful, clear photographs are taken with a wide angle lens and are distorted in a "bubble" like fashion. An addendum at the end of the book lists related websites for children, additional bibliography and is careful to note that SETI does not work with people who have claimed to be abducted by aliens. This non-fiction piece would be ideal to augment 3rd, 4th and 5th grade astronomy centered lesson plans as well as for any young budding scientist. Additionally, this book could be used as part of a unit on "careers"

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For children who want to be bored to death., March 24, 2010

By 

Ben-Oni "Darkness" (Golgotha) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Looking for Life in the Universe: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Scientists in the Field Series) (Paperback)

With the exception of books about dinosaurs, you cant cram a whole bunch of facts into a book, use simplified language, and call it a children's book. Why are Children going to care about a lady named Jill or the fact that she found a way to coat a wishbone with quicksilver so it would look different from everybody else's or the fact that it takes so many bowls of cereal to fill up a telescope?. Why are children going to care about a big signal from space that we only got once and never again, or that we've recieved a lot of false alarms? I've got the answer THEY'RE NOT. This book is not for children unless you want them to fall asleep or die of boredom.

I could see this being used in elementary schools but for children? NO WAY.