A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

A New Scientist Bestseller

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Good Reviews: 26

Bad Reviews: 0

Read an Excerpt from PLANET QUEST!

Now astronomer and internationally acclaimed author Ken Croswell has written the definitive guide to the culmination of the scientific revolution that began with Copernicus. Weaving together the personal travails of the scientists who made the key discoveries, Dr. Croswell marshals extensive research and interviews to bring to life this epic of scientific adventure--in language so clear that anyone can understand. He succinctly defines the essential features of our own solar system, then recounts the stories of the discovery of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto and the search for the mysterious Planet X. From there we leap with him beyond our solar system's edge, following the pioneers of science in their quest for planets around other stars.

In the decades preceding ours, disappointment and frustration reigned among astronomers, as claims of discovery based on necessarily infinitesimal measurements were made only to be disproved and cast back into the void of obscurity. But planets recently found orbiting a dead star known as a pulsar heralded the new era of planetary exploration that Planet Quest opens the door on with the discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet circling 51 Pegasi, a star virtually identical to the Sun. The discovery of this planet was quickly followed by another, found quietly wending its way around the star 47 Ursae Majoris.

For the first time, as Dr. Croswell lucidly explains, we have demonstrated that the universe at large does in fact possess the four basic astronomical ingredients for life. Moreover, he shows how new space-based and technologically advanced observatories could provide direct detailed images of our new neighbors. Perhaps someone, or something, will be waving back.

"An exciting story well told. Croswell has gone whenever possible directly to the scientists involved to present an interesting and comprehensive history of the search for planets both inside and outside our solar system."
--Lawrence Krauss, Case Western Reserve University; author of The Physics of Star Trek

"What a great read! Ken Croswell writes compellingly about the hunt for extrasolar planets, how they have been found, and the prospects for future planet discoveries. He captures the loneliness of the planet hunter, the agony of defeat, the pain of the retracted publication, and the thrill of the find. When our descendants look back on this age, they will mark this time as one of profound change in the history of astronomy."
--Richard N. Zare, Stanford University

"The implications of the monumental discovery of other planets orbiting distant stars require us to examine anew our conception of the universe--for where there are planets, there can be life. Ken Croswell takes the reader on this voyage to a new world view. Reading this book is like sailing with Columbus."
--Peter D. Ward, University of Washington, coauthor of Rare Earth

"A thrilling account of the discovery of planets in the solar system and elsewhere that stands out for its human interest and its accuracy."
--Sir John Maddox, editor emeritus, Nature

Good Reviews--PLANET QUEST

Publishers Weekly:

Scientific American:

The New York Times Book Review:

Planet Quest by Ken Croswell falls squarely into the useless-but-fascinating school of popular science writing. It is an excellent introduction to a branch of astronomy that may eventually help to establish the presence or absence of life elsewhere in the universe. Over the centuries, since astronomers first established that the Earth is but one among a number of planets orbiting the Sun, the question of whether other planets may support life has been the subject of much speculation....

Croswell recounts well the early frustrations of extrasolar planetary astronomy, as first one and then another reported planetary sighting turned out to be false. The field has only really come into its own in the 1990s. Surprisingly, the first good evidence for an extrasolar planet came from studies of pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars very unlike our Sun; not until 1995 did two Swiss astronomers detect the first hard evidence of an extrasolar planet orbiting a Sunlike star. Since then, improved measurement techniques have led to a rush of discoveries. As Croswell says, "a new era in the exploration of the universe has commenced." Over the next few years, we can expect the head count of extrasolar planets to grow to the point where we can begin to judge just how normal or abnormal is our own solar system, and just how common or uncommon in the universe are planetary systems capable of supporting life. Amazingly, astronomy may even provide us with information about planetary atmospheres that offers indirect clues to the presence or absence of life itself.

Astronomy has always attracted more than its fair share of publicity because of the large questions that it promises to help answer. Commenting on his mail, one astronomer tells Croswell: "The public wants to know. You have found some things: so what? And the `so what' is quite profound. Is our Earth unique? Are there other earths out there? Did Jesus have to go to all of those planets?" Croswell is an excellent guide to how far astronomy has come in answer to these latter questions (the respective answers, by the way, are: "probably not," "probably, but we don't know how many," and "that's not a proper question for an astronomer.") He gives us a feel for the excitement of the quest without falling into the trap of sensationalism.

Planet Quest is of no practical use whatever. It won't help you change a light bulb, but it is fascinating and worthwhile nonetheless.
--John Durant

Sky and Telescope:

Finally, after hundreds of years of disappointment, false "discoveries," and undue optimism, the search has succeeded--in a big way....Croswell's book is a treasure-trove of information about ideas and activities going back to the year 1600, when Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in the Campo di Fiori ("The Field of Flowers," now a large parking lot) in Rome for proposing that there was an infinity of worlds in the universe. Croswell presents a steady stream of remarkable historical events. I always wonder how authors gather such collections of odd and fascinating facts--indeed, where do they find the time! It is hard to put the book down in these sections.
--Frank Drake

Astronomy:

Croswell weaves the facts together into a story. By delving into the history, which is rife with false alarms and stumbling, bumbling, and fumbling, Croswell does a magnificent job of providing a broad perspective of the entire subject.
--Robert Naeye

The Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Nature:

Space Views:

Croswell explains the science and the observational techniques at a level easily understood by the layman. Moreover, his interviews with dozens of scientists involved in the search adds an extra, human dimension to the subject, as we find out about the ups and downs, the cooperation and the conflicts, researchers in the field have encountered. The book includes a detailed glossary of terms and names used in the book, along with a bibliography that includes general works and scientific papers, that make the book a good reference work in addition to its strengths as a tale of discovery....

For those looking to learn more about the search for extrasolar planets, it will be hard to beat Planet Quest.

Astronomy Now:

The book highlights the work and views of many of the key individual researchers, their successes and failures, disputes and conflicts, thereby bringing to life the reality of scientific endeavour. Ken Croswell has succeeded admirably in putting interesting science into a framework which combines a scientific detective story with an adventure of exploration.

Because no previous knowledge of astronomy is assumed, and the relevant background (including a useful glossary) is provided, the book is accessible to a wide general readership....

For those who wish to gain a clear understanding of the nature and significance of the quest coupled with a lucid review of the results so far, Planet Quest will be hard to beat.
--Iain Nicolson

Urania:

Kirkus Reviews:

New Scientist:

We are first given a thorough grounding in the science of our solar system, and reminded how its outer planets were discovered. The abortive searches for Vulcan, which was believed to be closer to the Sun than Mercury, and Planet X, thought by some to exist beyond the orbit of Pluto, are included to help make us aware of the pitfalls that can occur along the way. We learn how the giant Jupiter protects the inner planets of our solar system from the vast majority of cometary impacts, and so may allow periods of calm long enough for life to evolve.

The heart of this book is naturally about the first discoveries of planets around distant stars. Croswell presents this fascinating story very well. He often quotes those directly involved in the search, allowing us to share their feelings as hopes were dashed or tentative discoveries confirmed....

These techniques are not sensitive enough to reveal Earthlike planets, but Croswell consoles us by describing how techniques such as adaptive optics and infrared interferometry may be able to do so in the future. It is even possible that, by spectral analysis of their atmospheres, we might detect the presence of ozone, an excellent marker for the presence of oxygen, which could indicate a life-bearing planet.

Croswell ends this excellent book with a 50-page section containing a glossary of scientific terms used, and notes linked to each chapter. These give references stretching as far back as 1838. This section is just one indication of the detailed research Croswell has put into his book, making it a joy for any student of the subject. I find it hard to see how anyone could have done a better job in bringing this exciting field to the general reader.
--Ian Morison

The Irish Astronomical Journal:

Choice:

Discover:

The Observatory:

The main strength is Croswell's skill as a populariser of astronomy. He manages to put together the whole subject in a smoothly flowing narrative that relies as much on the personalities involved as on the science.
--Robert Argyle

Star Date:

Booklist:

Ad Astra:

Croswell soberly discussses the daunting distances, the current impossibility of matter-antimatter and laser drives, and the purely speculative nature of wormhole tunneling and faster-than-light travel. He notes that a realistic first step may be the proposed TAU robotic mission, so named because it would conduct science a thousand astronomical units from the Sun, taking about a century to get there. But in his conclusion he also notes the following: "Yet it would be folly to dismiss the capability of terrestrial civilization a few centuries from now, let alone that of other civilizations which may be millions or billions of years more advanced. Furthermore, if a genuine twin of Earth were discovered around a nearby star, such as Alpha Centauri, Lalande 21185, or Tau Ceti, the urge to explore that world directly would be irresistible."
--George Smith

Physics Today:

Scott Shalaway:

Library Journal:

University College London:

Journal for the History of Astronomy:

Air and Space/Smithsonian:

Croswell tells a candid and vivid story of the search for life on other planets, and then the search for other systems of planets. He lays out the carcasses of present and past careers devoted to the search--and shows how so many of those careers were misled. It all demonstrates that astronomy is a very human and chancy business.

Astronomers today have the tools to measure the excrutiatingly minute periodic shifting of a star in space caused by the gravitational influence of invisible masses of planetary dimensions. But are these masses planets or extremely small stars? How does one distinguish between the two? These types of questions keep Croswell's narrative lively. Thus far, no Earth-type planet has been detected around a solar-type star. What have been found are planets ranging in size from Jovian-scale to hundreds of times larger. This is a good start, and Croswell makes the most of it by arguing that complex life on Earth-type planets requires the existence of Jovian-type planets to act as cosmic brooms sweeping the inner system clear of marauding comets that otherwise would have smashed into the smaller planets, destroying any life struggling to survive on them.

Croswell demonstrates viscerally how delicate the balance of life is here. He shuns questions of how life begins or evolves, dodging the debate over the direction of evolution: Given that life can exist, will it naturally become self-aware and intelligent and venture out into the universe? He does envision a future in which at least one life-form performs this last act: humans. Among those who argue this point, Croswell is one of the most sensitive and effective.
--David DeVorkin

The Wilson Quarterly:

Croswell, an astronomer and the author of The Alchemy of the Heavens, tells the stories behind these and earlier breakthroughs. We learn of the discoveries of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, the failed search for a "Planet X" beyond Pluto's orbit, and the quest for planets outside our solar system. The first discovery of an extrasolar planet was made in 1991 by Aleksander Wolszczan [and Dale Frail] in 1991, and was soon followed by a raft of similar breakthroughs by Swiss and American astronomers.

Unfortunately, the history of searches for planets--whether inside or outside our own system--has not always been a happy one. Croswell explains why claims for the discovery of other planets get made in the first place, and how the continued refusal of the data to back up some claims eventually leads to their rejection. He also explains why these searches always involve indirect evidence--usually the distortion of a star's motion by the gravitational pull of its partner--rather than direct observation.

Croswell re-creates one of the shining moments of twentieth-century science. In 1991, English astronomer Andrew Lyne and his team announced the detection of planets around a pulsar (a dead star), which seemed to be the first extrasolar planets. In 1992, however, Lyne found a flaw in his data that invalidated his conclusion. Rather than send a terse letter of retraction to a professional journal, Lyne stood up and explained his error before a gathering of the American Astronomical Society in Atlanta. When he finished, the auditorium of astronomers gave him a standing ovation.

If Croswell's book has a weakness, it is his excessive attention to side issues and even nonissues, including a chapter-long semantic quibble over whether a brown dwarf is or is not a star. As a result, the main story about modern planetary discoveries doesn't begin until page 180.

That said, Croswell's command of the nuts and bolts of the profession enables him to explain what would otherwise be rather esoteric debates. A nice touch is his inclusion of interviews with a number of astronomers involved in the story, together with thumbnail sketches of their careers and accounts of how they came to be astronomers. No parent reading this book can fail to be impressed by these scientists' testimonies to their earliest shaping experiences: "My parents bought me a telescope" or "My father showed me the constellations."
--James Trefil

Isis:

Speculations on the existence of planets circling other stars can be traced back to Giordano Bruno. It is with Bruno that Croswell begins, and with the very latest discoveries that he ends. The book is remarkably complete and up-to-date. Croswell presents all the major discoveries and all the challenges to the interpretations of the discoveries. More important, he presents all the keys to understanding the difficulties associated with the search for planets. He also covers vital subjects that are not often given adequate attention, such as circumstellar disks, gravitational interactions of protoplanetary bodies, and the discovery of planetary systems around pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars that are the remnants of the death of a massive star following a supernova explosion. In addition, Croswell details the "discovery" of planets both within our own system and around other stars that have been discredited or that have vanished as a result of the insidious presence of systematic errors. He describes the evidence, both observational and theoretical, that has convinced astronomers that very low mass objects, some almost certainly planets, have finally been discovered. But these "planets" are a strange lot, with unexpected properties that are proving a challenge to our understanding of the process of planet formation. These discoveries have led scientists to new conclusions about the presence of other Earthlike planets and life elsewhere in the universe and have inspired ambitious plans for future astronomical exploration from the Earth and space to discover Earthlike planets. Croswell presents all this material clearly and perceptively.

Unique to Croswell's approach is his use of personal interviews with key researchers active in the field. Croswell is a trained astronomer who has done his homework; he knows what questions to ask and how to filter and interpret what he hears. His skill as an interviewer and reporter gives us insights we would never get from reading journal papers. We get a taste of the competition among researchers--the egotism of some, the restraint of others--and we see the misunderstandings, the controversies, the arguments over terminology, the excitement of discovery, and the agony of failure. The book is filled with provocative statements that enliven the discussion and that, one suspects, some researchers might not be too pleased to see in print.

Planet Quest documents the history of our attempts to understand our place in the universe. Testifying to our fascination with this subject are the more than twenty pages of bibliographical source material that Croswell has included for those interested in pursuing the details of this remarkable story of discovery.
--Robert P. Stefanik

Read an Excerpt from PLANET QUEST!