Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth

by Adam Frank

Book Overview

Light of the Stars tells the story of humanity's coming of age as we awaken to the possibilities of life on other worlds and their sudden relevance to our fate on Earth. Astrophysicist Adam Frank traces the question of alien life and intelligence from the ancient Greeks to the leading thinkers of our own time, and shows how we as a civilization can only hope to survive climate change if we recognize what science has recently discovered: that we...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393609014
• ISBN13: 9780393609011
• Release Date: June 2018
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Answering the question, "Where are the aliens?"

If you have ever lain awake wondering about the Big Questions, in this factually based essay, Adam Frank answers some of the deepest ones, such as, "are we alone, if not, then where are the others, how do we know what we know, and will we live long enough to learn the answers?" Drawing upon his experience as an astronomer he tackles the Drake equation with an eye toward showing us how we have come to know the answers to all but a couple key factors, crucially, the ones which point to the longevity of advanced civilizations. If you are interested in the face of human civilization and wonder if there is a hopeful path forward from where we are today, you should read this book. Warning: This is not a recipe book. And it will not tell you all the answers. It will illuminate the important questions and give you some understanding of the odds in the game.