Contents

Chapter 1      Quest for Other Worlds

The Exciting Times We Live In

Chapter 2      Planets from Dust

Unraveling the Birth of Solar Systems

Chapter 3      A Wobbly Start

False Starts and Death Star Planets

Chapter 4      Planet Bounty

Hot Jupiters and Other Surprises

Chapter 5      Flickers and Shadows

More Ways to Find Planets

Chapter 6      Blurring Boundaries

Neither Stars nor Planets

Chapter 7      A Picture’s Worth

Images of Distant Worlds

Chapter 8      Alien Earths

In Search of Wet, Rocky Habitats

Chapter 9      Signs of Life

How Will We Find E.T.?

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Afterword to the Paperback Edition

Index

Acknowledgments

About the Author