Recent discoveries of planet-like objects circling other sun-like stars have stirred enormous interest in what other planets may exist in the universe, and whether they support intelligent life, or at least could do so. This book will take us into the thick of this search for extrasolar planets. Unlike other books, it will focus on the people behind the searches--many of whom the author knows--and the extraordinary technology that is on the drawing boards and currently in use to detect distant wanderers and describe their characteristics, thus bringing us to the cutting edge of knowledge of...

Recent discoveries of planet-like objects circling other sun-like stars have stirred enormous interest in what other planets may exist in the universe, and whether they support intelligent life, or at least could do so. This book will take us into the thick of this search for extrasolar planets. Unlike other books, it will focus on the people behind the searches--many of whom the author knows--and the extraordinary technology that is on the drawing boards and currently in use to detect distant wanderers and describe their characteristics, thus bringing us to the cutting edge of knowledge of...