Index
1RXS J160929.1-210524, 160
2M1207b, 157
2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey), 135
2MASSW J1207334-393254 (2M1207), 155–57
26-meter radio dish (Green Bank),225
47 Ursae Majoris, 76
accretion, 25, 132, 139, 142, 189, 229
Adams, Douglas, 53
adaptive optics, 37–38, 151–58, 229; guide stars for, 152–53; lasers and, 153–54
aerodynamic capture, 30
Allegheny Observatory, 53
Allen, Paul, 226
Allen Telescope Array (ATA), 226
alpha Centauri, 195–96
alpha Centauri A, 195–96
alpha Centauri B, 195–96
Alvarez, Luis, 152
amateurs, role of, 95–96, 98–102
Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, 2–3
angular momentum, 20–21, 43, 64, 68–69, 229
angular resolution, 229
ANSMET (Antarctic Search for Meteorites) program, 38–39
Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter, 40 arcminute, 229 arcsecond, 229
Aristotle, 3
Arnold, Luc, 210
Artigau, Etienne, 128
Asimov, Isaac, 179
astrobiology, 203, 214–18; stellar type variations and, 219–20
astrometry, 50, 56, 229; failure of, in planet searches, 52–55; and planet hunting, 50–51
astronomy, nature of, 6–7
astrophysics, modern: birth of, 12;
dependence on spectroscopy, 13–14
Atacama Large Millimeter Array,148
atomism, doctrine of, 2
AU (astronomical unit), 230; and transit timings, 104–5
Automated Planet Finder 2.4-meter telescope, 195
Baade, Walter, 61
Babcock, Horace, 151
Backer, Donald, 64–65
Bally, John, 28
Banks, Joseph, 106
Barnard, Edward Emerson, 19, 52–55
Barnard’s Loop, 18
Barnard’s star, 52–55
Batalha, Natalie, 199–201
Bate, Matthew, 137
Beaulieu, Jean-Philippe, 102, 186
Becklin, Eric, 131
Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm, 50
beta Pictoris, 32–33, 165, 193
Betelgeuse, 169
binary stars, 230; brown dwarfs, 139–40; and exoplanetary life, 177–78
biosignatures, 192, 209, 211, 214, 230; detection of, 223; NASA working group on, 216–17
Black, David, 79 Black Corridor (Moorcock), 53
black-drop effect, 106
Blum, Jürgen, 29–31
Bodenheimer, Derek, 75
Bok, Bart, 20
Bok globules, 20
Bond, George, 17
Bond, Ian, 101
Bootes. See tau Bootis Borucki, Bill, 172–76, 201
Brown, Michael, 126
Brown, Timothy, 74, 81, 83–86, 108–9, 116
brown dwarfs, 74–75, 79, 87, 123, 126–48, 230 Bruno, Giordano, 15
B-type stars, 199
Bunsen, Robert, 10–11
Burnell, Jocelyn Bell, 61
Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, 47 Butler, Paul, 59–60, 74, 76, 82–86, 185, 195
Buys Ballot, C.H.D., 12
cameras: CCD (charge-coupled device), 95; digital, 55; mid-infrared, 36
Cameron, Alistair, 44
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), 58, 119–20
Cancer. See 55 Cancri carbides, 193
carbon cycle, 230
carbon planets, 193
Cassidy, William, 39
cataclysmic variables, 95
CCD (charge coupled device), 174, 230
Center for Backyard Astronomy, 95
Chamberlin, Thomas Chrowder, 5–6
Charbonneau, David, 108–9, 116, 118–19, 197–98
Chauvin, Gael, 155–57
chirality, 223
Christie, Grant, 99–101
Chyba, Chris, 217
circular polarization, 223
Clark, Alvan Graham, 50
Clarke, Cathie, 137
clouds: dark, 19–21; giant molecular, 19–21; molecular, 234
Cochran, William, 76
Cook, Lt. James, 106
constellation, 231
Copernicus, Nicolas, 3; heliocentric theory, 227
coronagraphic mask, 32
COROT-3b, 143
COROT-7b, 190–92
Cours de philosophie positive (Comte), 7
Cowan, Nicolas, 213
Crabtree, William, 104
Croll, Bryce, 119–20
Cysatus, Johann Baptist, 17
Darwin, George, 43
Davis, Donald, 44
Day, Benjamin, 205
Demming, Drake, 118
deuterium, 127
deuterium burning limit, 142–43
deuterium burning threshold, 145
Dick, Thomas, 205
diffraction grating, 9
direct-imaging surveys, 154
Discovery (space shuttle), 29
Discovery Program (NASA), 175
Doolittle, Eric, 49
Doppler, Christian, 12
Doppler effect, 12, 56, 72, 231
Doppler measurements, 191; precision of, 184–85
Doppler surveys, 83, 92–93, 136, 185, 196
Doppler technique, 67, 87, 91, 93, 231
double star, 47–52
Doyon, Rene, 157–58
Drake, Frank, 225
Draper, Henry, 17–18
dwarf stars: black, 130; brown, 74–75, 79, 87, 123, 126–48; brown dwarf binaries, 139–40; differentiated from planets, 142–43; red, 52, 114, 185, 189, 194–97, 199, 222, 236; sub-brown, 145; white, 50, 131, 238 Dyson, Freeman, 152
earth, search for life on, 206–14
Earth-centric model of cosmos, 3
eccentricity, 231
Eichhorn, Heinrich, 53
Einstein, Albert, 94
electromagnetic spectrum, 9–11
electron, 232
El Niño, 33
Enceladus, 215
Endeavor (ship), 106
enstatite chondrites, 193
epsilon Eridani, 36
Eris, 126
ESO Very Large Telescope, 155–57, 165, 170
European Extremely Large Telescope, 202
extraterrestrial life, 203–27; existence of, 1–2; speculation about, 2–4
Fabri de Peiresc, Nicholas-Claude, 17
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite, 193
Fazio, Giovanni, 35
feldspar, 40–41
Fischer, Debra, 82–86, 89, 92, 195–96, 198, 201–2
Fisher, Scott, 33
Fomalhaut, 162–63
formation history of objects, 143
formation mechanisms: of brown dwarfs, 136–40; of giant planets, 136–40
Forward, Robert L., 53
Frail, Dale, 63
Fraunhofer, Joseph von, 9
Fraunhofer lines, 10–11
FRESIP (Frequency of Earth-Sized Inner Planets), 174–75
fusion, 232
Gaia hypothesis, 207
galaxies, 232; and spectral analysis, 11
gas giant planet, 232
Gaudi, Scott, 100–102
Gemini 8-meter, 158
Gemini South telescope, 165
giant impact theory, 44–45
giant planet formation, disk instability model for, 137
GJ 1214, 197
Gliese 229, 133
Gliese 229B, 134
Gliese 436, 114
Gliese 581b, 186
Gliese 581d, 188
global glaciation, 181n3
Gold, Thomas, 61
GRA 06128 (meteorite), 40–41
GRA 06129 (meteorite), 40–41
Grant, Dr. Andrew (hoax), 204–5
graphite, 193
Graves Nunataks ice fields, 40–41
gravitational lensing, 97, 186; and extrasolar planets, 98
gravity, ability to bend light, 94
Gray, David, 79–81
Greaves, Jane, 36
Green, Charles, 106
greenhouse: effect, 232; warming, 181–82
guide stars, for adaptive optics, 152–53
Guillot, Tristan, 76
Guyon, Oliver, 166–67
habitable zone, 178–79, 182–84, 186, 188, 232 Hale, George Ellery, 48
Halley, Edmund, 104
Haro, Guillermo, 25
HARPS instrument, 186, 191, 194
Harris, Richard, 163
Hartmann, Lee, 35
Hartmann, William, 44
Harvey, Ralph, 38–40
HAT-P-7, 199
HAT-P-11b, 114
HD 16141, 86
HD 23079, 184
HD 28185, 184
HD 46375, 86
HD 69830, 86
HD 80606b, 120–21
HD 149026, 113
HD 149026b, 114
HD 189733b, 117–19
heavy-metal bands, 89
Heinlein, Robert, 179
Heintz, Wulff, 53
helium, 232
Herbig, George, 25
Herbig-Haro objects, 25
Herschel, John, 204
Herschel, William, 8, 17–19, 47–48
Hewish, Anthony, 61
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Adams), 53
hoaxes, 204–6
Hobby-Eberly Telescope, 117
Hodierna, Giovanni Batista, 17
Holland, Wayne, 36
Holmberg, Erik, 50
Hooker 100-inch telescope, 169
Horne, Keith, 111
Horrocks, Jeremiah, 104
Horsehead Nebula, 18
hot Jupiters, 76, 79, 85, 88–89, 92, 112, 116–18, 120n1, 143, 199, 232; transits of, 198
hot Neptunes, 121–22
hot Saturn, 113
HR 4796A, 34–36
HR 8799, 161
Hubble Space Telescope, 26–28, 32, 113, 116–17, 162
Huggins, Margaret Lindsay, 12–13
Huggins, William, 11–13
hydrogen, 233 hydrogen envelope, 189
hydrogen fluoride (HF), and digital spectrography, 57
Indian Ocean, Venus transit (1761), 105
Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS), 31–32
infrared emissions from exoplanets, 118
infrared radiation, 233; discovery of, 8–9
initial mass function, 146
interferometer, 233
interferometry, 168–70, 233; infrared, 170; optical, 169–70
Io, 184
iodine, 59
isolated planetary mass object. See planetary mass object isotopes, 233
Jacob, Capt. W. S., 49
James Webb Space Telescope, 121, 165, 225
Jewett, David, 125
Johansen, Anders, 30
Johnson, John, 92
Jupiter, 50–51, 123; building blocks of, 42; Great Red Spot, 129; moons of, 3. See also hot Jupiters Jura, Michael, 223–24
Kalas, Paul, 162–63
Kasting, Jim, 179–82, 192, 212, 216
Keck telescopes, 109, 132, 138, 140–42, 171
Kelu-1, 135
Kepler, Johannes, 104
Kepler satellite observatory, 172
Kiang, Nancy, 220–22
Kirchhoff, Gustav, 10–11
Knutson, Heather, 118–19
Koerner, David, 36
Kuchner, Marc, 193
Kuiper Belt, 36, 124–26, 161, 233 Kulkarni, Shrinivas, 134
Kumar, Shiv, 130
Lafrenière, David, 157–58, 160, 162
Lagrange, Anne-Marie, 165
Laplace, Pierre Simon, 5
Large Binocular Telescope, 171
Larson, Richard, 22
lasers, and adaptive optics, 153–54
Laughlin, Gregory, 84, 89, 121, 195–96
Lederberg, Joshua, 207
Lemonick, Michael, 78
Leonardo da Vinci, 210
Lick radial velocity survey, 76
life, exoplanetary: conditions for, 176–203; search for, 203–27
light: and gravity, 94; as information, 8–14; speed of, 169; thorium-argon lamp, 70; year, 233
Lissauer, Jack, 185
lithium test, 132
Locke, Richard Adams, 205
Lowell, Percival, 206
Lucretius, 3
Luhman, Kevin, 38
Luu, Jane, 125
Lynds, Beverly, 19
Lyne, Andrew, 62–64
Lyot, Bernard, 165
Lyra, 199
Magellan telescope, 138
magma, 233
Mao, Shude, 98
Marcy, Geoffrey, 59–60, 66, 74, 76, 81–87, 92, 109, 185, 195–96
Marois, Christian, 161
Mars Express (ESA), 215
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA), 215
mass, 233 mass determination, and orbital inclination, 56–57
Mayor, Michel, 69–74, 84–87, 134, 185–86, 194
MBM12, 38
McArthur, Barbara, 88–89
McCormick, Jennie, 95–96, 98–101
Meade LX200 telescope, 95 Meadows, Vikki, 218–20
MEarth project, 197
Mercury, 103–5
Messier, Charles, 17
metals (heavy elements), 89–90, 234 meteorite, 38–42, 45, 193, 215, 234 methane, detection of, 116–17, 134–35, 207–9
Metrodorus of Chios, 2
Michelson, Albert, 169
microlensing, 97, 100–103, 234;
gravitational, 186, 234 Microlensing Follow-Up Network (MicroFUN), 98, 101
micron, 234
Miller, William Allen, 11
milliarcsecond, 234 millimeter waves, 234 molecule, 235 moon: life forms reported on, 204–5; origin of, 43–45
Moorcock, Michael, 53
Morton, Oliver, 4
Mount Palomar, 19
mu Arae, 184
Mullen, George, 181
Myers, Phil, 23
N2K Consortium, 89
Nakajima, Tadashi, 134
Napoleon Bonaparte, 5
nebulae, 235; and spectral analysis, 11
nebulosities, 38
neutron, 235 neutron stars, 61, 235 Newfoundland, and Venus transit (1761), 105
NGC 1333, 147
Nguyen, Duy, 93
Norway, and Venus transit (1761), 105
OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, 102, 186, 192
OGLE-2006-BLG-109, 101
OGLE TR-56, 112
On the Revolutions of Celestial Bodies (Copernicus), 3
Oppenheimer, Benjamin, 134
Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE), 98–100, 112
orbit, 235
orbital inclination, 88–89; and mass determination, 56–57
orbital period, 235
orbital resonance, 235
Orion, 16–17, 169. See also sigma Orionis Orion Nebula, 17–18, 26, 145
Osorio, Maria Rosa Zapatero, 143–44
oxygen, rise of, 181n3
ozone, 183, 207, 211–12, 216–22, 225, 235
Paczynski, Bohdan, 98
Padoan, Paolo, 137
Palomar 1.5 meter telescope, 133
Pasteur, Louis, 223
photosynthesis, 180, 188, 220–21, 236
planet: building of, 26–37; census of, 87, 100–103; definition of, 124; differentiated from brown dwarf, 142–43; extrasolar giant, 68; free-floating, 145; giant, 76, 136–40; habitability of, 176–84; imaging of, 149–71; migration of, 234; origin of, 4–6; terrestrial, 237; tests for status of, 155
planetary mass object, 145–47
planetary systems, 1; evolution of, 42–43; formation of, 14–15, 78–79; formative periods of, 88; multiple-planet, 86
planetesimals, 28–30, 35, 236; and collisions, 45
planet hunting, astrometry and, 50–51
planet migration process, and star mass, 92
planets: 2M1207b, 157; COROT-7b, 190–92; Gliese 581b, 186; Gliese 581c, 186, 188; Gliese 581d, 188; HAT-P-7, 199; HAT-P-11b, 114; HD 80606b, 120–21; HD 149026b, 114; HD 189733b, 117–19; HD 209458b, 108–12, 116–18; OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, 102, 186, 192; TrES-1b, 118; upsilon Andromedae b, 120; WASP-12b, 117. See also names of planets
plate tectonics, 176–77, 181, 236
Plato, 3
Pleiades, 133. See also PPl 15
Pluto, 123; planetary status of, 124–26
proplyds, 28
proton, 236
protoplanetary disks, 26–29, 32–33, 41–42, 75, 90–91, 114, 161, 189, 193, 236
protostars, 21, 23–26, 145, 236
Proxima Centauri, 195–96
PSR B1829-10, 60–64
pulsar, 60–61, 236; millisecond, 64, 234
pulsar planets, 60–66
Pupil-mapping Exoplanet Corona-graphic Observer (PECO), 167
quasars, 97
Queloz, Didier, 15, 69–74, 79, 191
radial velocity, 236
radial velocity scatter, 93
radial velocity surveys. See Doppler surveys Radigan, Jacqueline, 128
radio astronomy, 170
radiometric dating, 41, 236 radio telescopes, 23
Rasio, Frederic, 75–76
red dwarf, 52
red edge, 211–14
Redfield, Seth, 117
Reipurth, Bo, 137
relativity, general theory of, 96
Reuyl, Dirk, 50
Rivera, Eugenio, 185
Roberge, Aki, 193
Roddier, François, 152
Rosenblatt, Frank, 174
Ruiz, Maria Teresa, 134–35
Sage, Leslie, 80
Sahu, Kailash, 113
St. Helena: and Mercury transit, 104; and Venus transit (1761), 105
Sasselov, Dimitar, 112, 116, 189–90, 192–93
Saturn V rockets, 179
Schiaparelli, Giovanni, 205
Schneider, Jean, 210–11
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), 130, 225–27, 237 See, Thomas Jefferson Jackson, 48–50
Selsis, Franck, 186
Setiawan, Johnny, 93
Shaw Prize, 86–87
Shemar, Setnam, 62
Siberia, and Venus transit (1761), 105
silicates, 192
Sirius, and Doppler effect, 13
Sloan Digital Sky Survey, 135
Smith, Bradford, 32
sodium absorption, 116–17
Solander, Daniel, 106
solar mass, 237 solar-nebula model, 5–6 Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), 171
space shuttle Discovery, 29 Sparks, William, 223
spectral lines, 237 spectral resolution, 237 spectrograph, 55, 70, 237
spectroscopy, 13–14, 237; stellar, 68, 79
Spitzer space telescope, 117–21 138, 147, 225
STARE (STellar Astrophysics and Research on Exploration) telescope, 108–10
star formation, 20–26
star, main-sequence, 233; sub-giant, 237
star mass, and planet migration process, 92
star names: 1RXS J160929.1–210524, 160; 2MASSW J1207334-393254 (2M1207), 155–57; 16 Cygni B, 76, 78, 87; 47 Ursae Majoris, 76; 51 Pegasi, 70–75, 79–81; 55 Cancri, 76, 86; 61 Cygni, 51, 55; 70 Ophiuchi, 47–50, 55; 70 Virginis, 76, 78, 87; alpha Centauri, 195–96; alpha Centauri A, 195–96; alpha Centauri B, 195–96; Barnard’s star, 52–55; beta Pictoris, 32–33, 165, 193; Betelgeuse, 169; epsilon Eridani, 36; Fomalhaut, 162–63; gamma Cephei, 58–59, 91–92; GJ 1214, 197; Gliese 229, 133; Gliese 229B, 134; Gliese 436, 114; Gliese 581, 186, 191; Gliese 876, 185, 191; HD 16141, 86; HD 23079, 184; HD 28185, 184; HD 40307, 185, 191; HD 46375, 86; HD 69830, 86; HD 114762, 59, 131; HD 149026, 113; HD 209458, 85–86, 109; HR 4796A, 34–36; HR 8799, 161; Lalande 21185, 52, 55, 55n1; MBM12, 38; mu Arae, 184; NGC 1333, 147; OGLE-2005-BLG-071, 98–100; OGLE-2006-BLG-109, 101; OGLE TR-56, 112; PPl 15, 133; Proxima Centauri, 195–96; PSR B1257+12, 62, 64–66; PSR B1829-10, 60–64; sigma Orionis, 144, 146; tau Bootis, 76; T Tauri stars, 25; TW Hydrae, 93, 155–57; upsilon Andromedae, 15, 76, 83, 88–89
stars, binary, 112–13, 138, 156–57, 177, 196, 230
stars, mass of, and protoplanetary disks, 91
stars, young, and Doppler searches, 92–93
star spots, 72–73
Stauffer, John, 133
stellar-encounter model, 5–6
stellar evolution, 91
Stern, Alan, 125
Strand, Kaj, 51
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 121
Struve, Otto, 68–69
Subaru 8.3 meter telescope, 140–42, 145, 166
substellar object, 127–48
Substellar Objects in Nearby Young Clusters (SONYC), 145–47
Sun-centric model of cosmos, 3
super-Earths, 167, 173, 184–92, 197–98, 200, 225, 237
SuperWASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) project, 112–13
surface water, and exoplanetary life, 178–79
Tahiti, and Venus transit (1769), 105–7
Tamura, Motohide, 142
tau Bootis, 76
tektites, 39
Telesco, Charles, 33–35
telescope, invention of, 3
telescopes: 26-meter radio dish (Green Bank), 225; Anglo-Australian 4-meter, 85; Arecibo 300-meter radio telescope, 62; ATA (Allen Telescope Array), 226; Atacama Large Millimeter Array, 148; Automated Planet Finder 2.4-meter telescope, 195; Blanco (4-meter), 33; CFHT, 58, 119–20; DAO 1.2 meter, 57; Darwin (ESA), 171, 202; ESO Very Large Telescope, 155–57, 165, 170; European Extremely Large Telescope, 202; Gemini 8-meter, 158; Gemini North, 38; Gemini South, 165; Hobby-Eberly Telescope, 117; Hooker 100-inch, 169; Hubble Space Telescope, 26–28, 113, 116–17, 162; James Webb Space Telescope, 121, 165, 225; JB radio dish (76 meter), 60; Keck, 83, 109, 132, 138, 140–42, 171; Large Binocular Telescope, 171; LO 3-meter, 59; Magellan telescope, 138; Meade LX200 (10-inch), 95; Palomar 1.5 meter, 133; Schmidt (1.2 meter, Mt. Palomar), 19; SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) 2.5m, 121; Spitzer space telescope, 117, 119, 120n1, 121, 138, 147; Sproul (61 centimeter), 51, 53–55; STARE, 108–10; Subaru 8.3 meter, 140–42, 145, 166; Terrestrial Planet Finder, 202; Thirty Meter Telescope, 202; University of Hawaii 2.2m telescope, 125; Very Large Array (VLA), 63, 170; Whipple 1.5 meter, 83
Terrile, Richard, 32
Thirty Meter Telescope, 202
thorium-argon lamp, 70
tidal locking, 117, 183, 185, 238
Tinetti, Giovanna, 211
Titan, 184
Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), 171, 202, 215
transit, 85–86, 94, 238; exoplanetary, 107–15, 172–202, 224–25; Mercury, 104; planetary, 103–7; as research tool, 115–22; Venus (1761 and 1769), 105–7
Traub, Wesley, 166, 168, 210, 216, 218
Trauger, John, 166–68
TrES-1b, 118
turbulence, atmospheric, 140–41, 151, 154
Udry, Stephane, 14–15, 86, 188, 202
Ugarte, Patricio, 33
Ultraviolet (UV), 28, 116, 183, 193, 207–8, 217, 219–21, 238 University of Hawaii 2.2m telescope, 125
Upper Scorpius association, 158
Upsilon Andromedae, 15, 76, 83, 88–89
Upsilon Andromedae b, 120
Uranus, 7, 17, 51, 198; rings of, 115
van de Kamp, Peter, 51–55
Van Vleck Observatory, 53
Venus, 103–5, 178–79, 182, 192, 202, 208, 216
Very Large Array (VLA), 63, 170
Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), 218–20
von Bloh, Werner, 188
von Braun, Wernher, 179
von Weizsäcker, Carl Friedrich, 6
Wagman, Nicholas, 53
Ward, William, 44
WASP-12b, 117
wavelength, 238 Weidenschilling, Stuart, 28
Wetherill, George, 28
white dwarf, 50, 65–66, 131, 238 Wilford, John Noble, 78
Wollaston, William Hyde, 9
Wolszczan, Alexander, 62–65
Woolf, Neville, 210
Yang, Stephenson, 58–59
zircon, 181
Zuckerman, Ben, 131
Zwicky, Fritz, 61
Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the many scientists who granted interviews, provided valuable material, or read parts of the book, including Gibor Basri, Natalie Batalha, Jürgen Blum, Bill Borucki, Alexis Brandeker, David Charbonneau, Bryce Croll, Debra Fischer, Scott Gaudi, Vincent Geers, Olivier Guyon, Ralph Harvey, Anders Johansen, Mike Jura, Jim Kasting, Heather Knutson, Marc Kuchner, David Lafrenière, Greg Laughlin, Geoff Marcy, Michel Mayor, Jennie McCormick, Subu Mohanty, Ben Oppenheimer, Didier Queloz, Jackie Radigan, Dimitar Sasselov, Demerese Salter, Aleks Scholz, Sara Seager, Frank Shu, Jill Tarter, Wes Traub, Gordon Walker, Alex Wolszczan, and Stephane Udry. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Oliver Morton, then at The Economist, and Tim Appenzeller, then at Science, for taking chances on me as a writer back when I was an undergraduate, and to the editors of my numerous popular articles over the years, especially David Eicher and Rich Talcott of Astronomy, Bob Naeye of Sky & Telescope, and George Musser of Scientific American. It is a pleasure to acknowledge Subu Mohanty and Rolf Danner, who coauthored two related popular articles with me. My editors for this book, Ingrid Gnerlich at Princeton University Press and Jim Gifford at HarperCollins Canada, and their teams, are truly wonderful to work with. My agent John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists has been a constant source of guidance and support throughout. Finally, I thank my family, colleagues, and friends, especially Betsy Bond, for the encouragement (and the gentle prodding) that kept me going.
About the Author
RAY JAYAWARDHANA is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. A graduate of Yale and Harvard and a winner of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, he uses many of the world’s largest telescopes to explore planetary origins and diversity. He is the author of over ninety papers in scientific journals. His discoveries have made headlines worldwide, including in Newsweek, Washington Post, New York Times, Globe and Mail, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC, NPR, and CBC, and have led to numerous accolades such as the Steacie Prize, the McLean Award, the Radcliffe Fellowship, and the Whidden Lectureship. He is an award-winning writer whose articles have appeared in The Economist, New York Times, Globe and Mail, Scientific American, New Scientist, Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, and Muse. He is also a popular speaker and a frequent commentator for the media.