Customer Reviews

Worlds Unnumbered: The Search for Extrasolar Planets

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Worlds Unnumbered: the search for Extrasolar Planets is a very interesting, informative, and fun to read book. Donald Goldsmith educates the reader with knowledge about how to find planets and what needs to be present for life to exist. The characteristics of many stars and planets are given in great detail. Numerous methods of searching for planets are considered, all point toward the future for being able to locate planets with life. This book was easy to understand because Donald Goldsmith went into great depth describing the terms, so that anyone could understand.
In conclusion, I would highly recomend Donald Goldsmith's Worlds Unnumbered: the search for extrasolar planets to anyone with even a slight interest in astronomy. I enjoyed this book and you will most likely too. So buy it or rent it now.

Worlds Unnumbered is a factual book about planets that orbit other suns in our galaxy. It talks about the possibility of life on these planets as well as how they were formed. Planets that orbit other stars are very hard to find and require the most up to date technology. Many planets found by scientists are very puzzling, because they either are extraordinarily large, or they are very close to their respective star, or a little bit of both. Most planets found are either below waters freezing point, or above the boiling point. This tells us that if these planets harbor life, they must live off of some other liquid compound than water. This opens up many other doors for us, such as, the search for other liquid compounds. If we can find one, we will be able to expand the possibility of life on other planets. Before 1995, we didn't even know planets existed outside our solar system. Once the first one was found, however, many others followed. Scientists searched day in and day out for them, and all their has paid off. The exploration of our universe is well underway.

This book takes the reader through a clear systematic explanation of the basics about extrasolar planets and the conditions for their development and survival as well as the fundimentals for the development of any form of life. Now missing latest discoveries this is still a must read for anyone interested in the nature of possible life in the universe or those who like to debate the probabilities of life on other planets without a full picture of the issues for planetary formation let alone the those for possible life. This book fulfilled all my expectations and gives an excellent range of general information and science surrounding the whole topic of extrasolar planets

A good read, explaining the current search for planets around other suns. Goldsmith takes on the questions most people ask, and carries you along the journey in a chatty, readable manner that maintains your interest. This book has a good balance between technical explanation, and simple prose, that should satisfy anyone looking for an all round explanation of the search for other planets. It leaves you positively excited about what will come up in the future.

As an amateur astronomer of 40 plus years I have an interest in the finding of new extrasolar planets. Donald Goldsmith wrote a good book detailing the few new planets found around 1996. As usual Jon Lomberg was superb in his artistic plates of the exoplanets and instrumentation used to find them. I've read several books with Jon as the illustrator and he consistently does great artwork.

Even though this book is severely dated and many more exoplanets have been found since its publication the subject is well presented. The book reads very well and is a joy to read. The average layman should understand it and you won't need an advanced degree in Planetary sciences.

We see the use of detectable Doppler shifts of lights from several stars that indicate Jupiter size worlds in orbit around stars about 1/8 the distance Mercury is from the Sun. Then Pulsar timing is used to find possibly smaller planets.We see the use of Transit passing of a planet across a star and being able to detect the slight decrease in light shown from the star. Then Gravitational Microlensing allowing the bent light from a distant star to find a planet in front of it. Also using Seti and Radio Astronomy to search for signals from worlds. A very interesting chapter on improving Earth based Interferometer detectors to help in the finding of more planets and the need to put a huge Interferometer detector beyond Jupiter to escape the distortion from the Zodiacal light.Also the need to use Infrared and other parts of the light spectrum other than ordinary visible light to better see stars distortions by planet gravity. We see the need for the new telescopes of the next decade ( many have already been constructed).

We see the most probable element for life to be based around is Carbon and why a suitable solvent like water is most desirable for life processes. But there two other possible solvents and Silicon life may be a poor second type.

We see the search for life and why a planet in a "habitable zone' being around a star like our Sun is important but not totally necessary. Also the great importance of finding oxygen in planet's atmosphere as lots of free oxygen means life. Small amounts of methane in conjunction with lots of oxygen are a good indicator of life.

More interesting chapters are logically laid out. A well thought out book. Even though this book is dated and many more exoplants have been found ...some "Super Earths" only 5 times the size of the Earth, this is a great starting book for someone interested in exploring Extrasolar planets. As Donald Goldsmith said in the book in the near future technology will improve allowing us to find smaller planets closer to the size of the Earth.

Unfortunately it will take decades and decades before we will be able to actually see new Earth size worlds around different stars. The technology is still not here.

Worlds Unnumbered a good staring book for Extrasolar Planet research. 4 stars and recommended.

This was a good book, but the part about how they find planets was too confusing.