{"product_id":"worlds-without-end-isbn-9780262047661","title":"Worlds Without End","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe science of finding habitable planets beyond our solar system and the prospects for establishing human civilization away from our ever-less-habitable planetary home.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlanet Earth, it turns out, may not be the best of all possible worlds—and lately humanity has been carelessly depleting resources, decimating species, and degrading everything needed for life. Meanwhile, human ingenuity has opened up a vista of habitable worlds well beyond our wildest dreams of outposts on Mars. \u003ci\u003eWorlds without End \u003c\/i\u003eis an expertly guided tour of this thrilling frontier in astronomy: the search for planets with the potential to host life.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWith the approachable style that has made him a leading interpreter of astronomy and space science, Chris Impey conducts readers across the vast, fast-developing field of astrobiology, surveying the dizzying advances carrying us ever closer to the discovery of life beyond Earth—and the prospect of humans living on another planet. Since the first exoplanet, or planet beyond our solar system, was discovered in 1995, over 4,000 more have been pinpointed, including hundreds of Earth-like planets, many of them habitable, detected by the Kepler satellite. With a view spanning astronomy, planetary science, geology, chemistry, and biology, Impey provides a state-of-the-art account of what’s behind this accelerating progress, what’s next, and what it might mean for humanity’s future.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe existential threats that we face here on Earth lend urgency to this search, raising the question: Could space be our salvation? From the definition of habitability to the changing shape of space exploration—as it expands beyond the interests of government to the pursuits of private industry—\u003ci\u003eWorlds without End\u003c\/i\u003e shows us the science, on horizons near and far, that may hold the answers.Prologue: The Best of All Possible Worlds 1\u003cbr\u003eI Searching for Distant Worlds 5\u003cbr\u003e1 The Visionaries 7\u003cbr\u003e2 Doppler Wobble 17\u003cbr\u003e3 Chasing Shadows 27\u003cbr\u003e4 Seeing Is Believing 37\u003cbr\u003e5 Calling Pandora 47\u003cbr\u003e6 The Next Wave 57\u003cbr\u003e7 Milky Way Census 67\u003cbr\u003eII Habitability and the Exoplanet Zoo 77\u003cbr\u003e8 Gas Giants 79\u003cbr\u003e9 Ice Giants 87\u003cbr\u003e10 Water Worlds 95\u003cbr\u003e11 Earth Clones 107\u003cbr\u003e12 Exomoons 117\u003cbr\u003e13 Rogue Planets 127\u003cbr\u003eIII The Search for Life beyond Earth 137\u003cbr\u003e14 The Solar System 139\u003cbr\u003e15 Sniffing Biosignatures 151\u003cbr\u003e16 Send in the Nanobots 163\u003cbr\u003e17 E.T. Phone Home 173\u003cbr\u003e18 Energy Footprints 183\u003cbr\u003e19 The Drake Equation 193\u003cbr\u003e20 The Fermi Question 203\u003cbr\u003eIV The Promise of Space Exploration 213\u003cbr\u003e21 Habitable Earth 215\u003cbr\u003e22 Space Boom 227\u003cbr\u003e23 How to Get to Space 237\u003cbr\u003e24 Going to the Moon and Marc 249\u003cbr\u003e25 Mining Asteroids 261\u003cbr\u003e26 Living beyond Earth 271\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue: Scenes from the Future 283\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 289\u003cbr\u003eNotes 291\u003cbr\u003eIndex 347“A provocative and expansive introduction to the exciting new field of exoplanet science.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e– \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The electrifying account of planetary exploration in \u003ci\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/i\u003e is as enthralling as the best science fiction. Amazing in its scope and authority, this entertaining science book will appeal to anyone who has gazed into the night sky to imagine life beyond Earth . . . Combining the latest science with cultural references ranging from Shakespeare to the movie Avatar, \u003ci\u003eWorlds Without End\u003c\/i\u003e will captivate readers who dream of life in galaxies far, far away.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e– Foreword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“For anyone interested in the search for life beyond Earth, this is the essential book.  It’s all here: every facet of the modern hunt for biology elsewhere. If this book isn’t on your shelf, it should be.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute; author of \u003ci\u003eConfessions of an Alien Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Chris Impey plots an intriguing path from Earth to our future in space. Combining scientific inquiries with personal stories, \u003ci\u003eWorlds without End\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating conversation starter.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Lisa Kaltenegger, Director, Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eWorlds without End\u003c\/i\u003e, Chris Impey has produced a lively mix of history, science fiction, Shakespearean quotes, profiles of astrobiologists, the latest exoplanet results, and informed speculation about the future of humanity.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Charles Lineweaver, Senior Fellow, Planetary Science Institute, Australian National University\u003c\/b\u003eChris Impey, a University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, has won numerous teaching awards and authored textbooks and nine popular science books, including \u003ci\u003eBeyond: The Future of Space Travel\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEinstein’s Monsters: The Life and Times of Black Holes\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300642345189,"sku":"NP9780262047661","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262047661.jpg?v=1767744576","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/worlds-without-end-isbn-9780262047661","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}