Life beyond Earth
The Search for Habitable Worlds in the Universe

An engaging account of our quest for habitable environments, recounting fascinating recent discoveries and providing insight into future space missions.

Athena Coustenis (Author), Thérèse Encrenaz (Author)

9781107026179, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 September 2013

296 pages, 120 b/w illus. 32 colour illus.
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.9 cm, 0.67 kg

'The question of life provides a compelling framework for the discussion. It's also of course one we often get from students and visitors. Can it exist elsewhere in the cosmos? What does contemporary astronomy research say? Encrenaz and Coustenis provide a rigorous though accessible introduction to the biochemical nature of terrestrial life and use this as a lens to examine the rest of the universe. … the authors do a great job of explaining why these results will be so compelling for these overarching questions.' Stephen Case, Planetarian

What is life and where can it exist? What searches are being made to identify conditions for life on other worlds? If extraterrestrial inhabited worlds are found, how can we explore them? In this book, two leading astrophysicists provide an engaging account of where we stand in our quest for habitable environments, in the Solar System and beyond. Starting from basic concepts, the narrative builds scientifically, including more in-depth material as boxed additions to the main text. The authors recount fascinating recent discoveries from space missions and observations using ground-based telescopes, of possible life-related artefacts in Martian meteorites, extrasolar planets, and subsurface oceans on Europa, Titan and Enceladus. They also provide a forward look to future missions. This is an exciting, informative read for anyone interested in the search for habitable and inhabited planets, and an excellent primer for students in astrobiology, habitability, planetary science and astronomy.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. What is life and where can it exist?
3. Terrestrial planets and their diverging evolutions
4. Searching for habitable sites in the outer Solar System
5. A revolution in astronomy: the exploration of extrasolar planets
6. Extraterrestrial inhabited sites in the future
Further reading
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Solar system: the Sun & planets [PGS]