Strange New Worlds

discovered so far are pretty exotic, bloated and massive or scorchingly close to their sun, and how we've even had our first weather report for another world. But what's most exciting is that this book explains how we now have within our grasp the ability to spot a true twin of Earth. BBC Focus This combination of the insider's expert perspective and storyteller's skill really shines through in Strange New Worlds... [Y]ou won't find a more able guide for the journey. -- Lewis Dartnell Times Higher Education [A]n engaging read that casts a floodlight at the search for life-sustaining planets beyond our Solar System... It is a must read for anyone who has ever wondered about the possibility of life beyond our planet. -- Myles Gough Cosmos Ray Jayawardhana, an astrophysicist and writer, vividly recounts the advances behind an extraordinary age of exploration. -- Leigh Dayton Australian It is the most tantalizing question: are there other planets where creatures passingly like ourselves eat Chiko Rolls, watch TV and walk the dog? Jayawardhana, a journalist-cum-Professor of Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, contemplates this question and, for those of us non-scientists, explains the history and current science in simple English. Sydney Morning Herald The author's writing style is reader-friendly and makes science approachable. This book's glossary explains unfamiliar terms. Dr. Jayawardhana provides the latest findings including his own research. Surely we'll be hearing more newsworthy scientific developments in the near future. -- Kathryn Franklin Portland Book Review Everything you need to know about alien planet discovery is insightfully described in this engaging book, which will appeal to astronomers, general science buffs, and armchair UFOlogists. Library Journal It's a fascinating story, which Ray Jayawardhana, a planet hunter, Canadian professor of astronomy and science writer, tells with panache, enthusiasm and insight... Strange New Worlds is ... rich in anecdote. Fortean Times The search for habitable planets around other stars is one of the preeminent research areas in astronomy today. Jayawardhana gives a firsthand account of the exciting discoveries that have taken place in the past two decades of rapidly accelerating growth in this new field. Strange New Worlds not only conveys the author's point of view about his own discoveries of planet-forming disks around other stars, but also contains excerpts from Jayawardhana's interviews with many of the other researchers who helped build the newest astronomical instruments, observe the first extrasolar planets, and create new or revised theories for the formation of planets. Choice [I]t is an interesting and well written book that doesn't need much technical knowledge to be appreciated. -- David Simpson Magonia Review of Books If you're looking for something to truly fire the imagination, then grab Ray Jayawardhana's Strange New Worlds from the shelves of your nearest bookshop--you will be glad that you did! ... Providing an insider's view that includes the debates and controversies at the very front line of exoplanet research, this book is a fascinating read. Adding the occasional splash of personal interlude, Jayawardhana has provided us with the most engaging nine chapters of cutting-edge research making this masterpiece a winner for a wide audience of readers. Astronomy Now One aspect that attracted me to this book was that it revealed, in story book fashion, the chronology of discoveries (including the names of the most significant players involved) in the quest for finding exoplanets. Such a format made for easy reading and, with each chapter, you could see the exoplanet story unfold. -- Edward Albin Planetarian