Dr Matt’s Guide to Life in Space : The Search for Planet B, Why Earth is so Special, And Where Are the Aliens?

The search for Planet B. Why Earth is so special? And where are the aliens? Dr Matt Agnew takes us through this fun, information-packed, fascinating look at life in space. Sit back, relax, let your imagination run wild and enjoy this scientific journey.With a PhD in astrophysics, Dr Matt is a self-proclaimed 'space nerd' and is passionate about communicating science in an interesting and accessible way. Dr Matt explores the qualities that make planet Earth special before moving ahead to traverse what we're beginning to know about other special places for life in the solar system. And what about beyond, in other star systems? How do we even begin to look that far away? Having investigated what we do know and what we're on the brink of knowing, Dr Matt's imagination runs wild as he addresses what we don't know. Where are the aliens? How common are they? Have we spotted any? And if not, why not?'A must-read . . . filled with delightful analogies that make learning about space digestible and fun for everyone.’ - Kirsten Banks, Astrophysicist & Science Communicator 'A fascinating journey to unravel the secrets of life.’ - Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador The search for Planet B. Why Earth is so special? And where are the aliens? Dr Matt Agnew takes us through this fun, information-packed, fascinating look at life in space. Sit back, relax, let your imagination run wild and enjoy this scientific journey. 'This is a great first book for diving into astronomy, and even better for an update on the Big One, "Is there life in the universe?"' Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, University of Sydney 'This is a book for the curious mind . . . it contains the breadth and detail to answer the questions of even the most inquisitive of readers.' Professor Brian P. Schmidt, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics 'A must-read . . . filled with delightful analogies that make learning about space digestible and fun for everyone.' Kirsten Banks , Astrophysicist & Science Communicator With a PhD in astrophysics, Dr Matt is a self-proclaimed 'space nerd' and is passionate about communicating science in an interesting and accessible way. Dr Matt explores the qualities that make planet Earth special before moving ahead to traverse what we're beginning to know about other special places for life in the solar system. And what about beyond, in other star systems? How do we even begin to look that far away? Having investigated what we do know and what we're on the brink of knowing, Dr Matt's imagination runs wild as he addresses what we don't know. Where are the aliens? How common are they? Have we spotted any? And if not, why not? 'A fascinating journey to unravel the secrets of life.' Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador 'Dr Matt has a rare gift in making the cosmically complex not just understandable but fun.' Professor Alan Duffy, Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute, Swinburne Based on the latest missions results and supported by commissioned artwork, this book explores the possible lessons we may learn from exoplanets. As the number of known Earth-like objects grows significantly, the author explores what is known about the growing roster of "pale blue dots" far afield. Aided by an increased sensitivity of the existing observatories, recent discoveries by Keck, the Hubble Space Telescope, and Kepler are examined. These findings, once thought to be closer to the realm of science fiction, have fired the imaginations of the general public as well as scientists. All of us are mesmerized by the possibility of other Earth-like worlds out there. Author Michael Carroll asks the tough questions of what the expected gain is from identifying these Earth analogs spread across the Universe and the reasons for studying them. Potentially, they could teach us about our own climate and Solar System. Also explored are the more remote options of communication between or even travel to these distant yet perhaps not so dissimilar worlds.