"Alien Earths" by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger is a captivating exploration of the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the potential habitability of exoplanets. Kaltenegger, an astrophysicist at the forefront of exoplanet research, provides a compelling synthesis of scientific discovery and speculative wonder. The book delves into the latest advancements in exoplanet detection and characterization, presenting a vivid picture of the diverse worlds scattered throughout the cosmos.

Kaltenegger's accessible prose skillfully navigates complex concepts, making this work appealing to both enthusiasts and those new to astrobiology. She seamlessly weaves together astrophysics, biology, and the quest for life beyond our solar system. Through engaging storytelling and rich scientific detail, "Alien Earths" invites readers to ponder the profound question of whether we are alone in the universe.

In an era of rapidly evolving space exploration, Kaltenegger's work serves as a timely and enlightening guide to the tantalizing prospect of discovering habitable exoplanets and potential extraterrestrial life. "Alien Earths" is an essential read for anyone intrigued by the mysteries of the cosmos and the search for life beyond our home planet.

A fascinating, informative and fairly easy to understand look at the universe and our place in it. The author had a great writing style easy to grasp even when she was talking about some of the heavy science topics.

Excellent and lucid review of the search for life on other planets. This is not an area that I was particularly interested in but the writing is so lively and she uses so many metaphors and analogies to make it understandable that I’m really glad Net Galley gave me an ARC in exchange for my independent review here.
In the last 20-30 years there has been so much progress in identifying the many possible places close to us in the universe where life of some sort might exist. The techniques astronomers use are very ingenious and as I said she makes it seem so logical. It turns out that astronomers are very interested in science fiction because their own research requires that they use their imaginations in such creative ways. This book has not succeeded in making me a sci-fi fan however. I’m more interested in facts. I was also not aware of just how interdisciplinary and international this field is. An appendix gives a lot of resources for citizen scientists to learn more and get involved.
I will definitely be paying more attention to this field in the future. Thank you NetGalley!

This book reads as somewhat of a summary or primer in the subject. I enjoyed the portions that spoke to the early solar system as a way to get my mindset back to thinking in terms of the understood timelines and origins as we know them.

I like how each chapter was somewhat split, but I feel like that detailed me a few times when I had to set the book down and pick it back up days later. That said, this honestly read more like Dr. Kaltenegger was talking to you about the subject rather than reading a book on it, so I really enjoyed the splitting from that aspect. There is one section that I believe my daughter would benefit from reading through regarding the discrimination that women in STEM fields faced not all that long ago. It’s not a lengthy dissertation on the subject, but it adds some understanding and the mindset one had to get into.

I’m always interested in hearing how teams are able to pull off all of the planning and execution of these large-scale projects, but a nice touch was how some of the events just serendipitously lined up at the right times. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wish it went more technically into hunting for biomarkers through spectroscopy, but I definitely understand that would have led into a rather dry section of an otherwise approachable book.

A new vision on Aliens and our Earth. Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger may use too many academic vocabulary, which makes readers is easy to get tired, but if you pass 30%, you will find many interesting knowledge in this book.
For those who love to find origin of Earth and the connection between us and Aliens.

Very science heavy, but still an interesting read. A different genre than I normally read, but it was still accessible to me in the best way.

I absolutely loved this book, aside from the typical typos inherent in a galley. Much like one of my other favorite science authors, Mary Roach, Kaltenegger does a wonderful job of paring down what can be an overwhelming amount of research and information into an absorbing and fascinating read. Putting the mass of a star in a tablespoon; translating space time to years to and from the light we see in the sky; creating tiny lava planets that fit in the palm of her hand. Magical!
One of the most striking messages of the book, for me as a woman, was her refusal to see her gender as a roadblock in the pursuit of her passion and curiosity. One passage in particular struck me. While attending a conference in which a presenter had forgotten to make copies of his slides, she offered to make copies for him. He told her not to, because from that point on, she'd be viewed as a secretary to the rest of the (predominantly male) attendees. A small interaction, but important.
Really well done. I look forward to seeing it on the shelves next year.

Interesting but also not particularly simple or simplistic. There are things that no matter how easy you try to explain are not easy at all, and on this I must say the author does a very good job.
Planets, stars and possible life outside of our planet is something we have only just begun to study and there is still a long way to go, but you certainly cannot say it is not a fascinating path.

Interessante ma anche non particolarmente semplice o semplicistico. Ci sono cose che per quanto si provi a spiegare facilmente non sono facili per niente e su questo devo dire che l'autrice fa un ottimo lavoro.
I pianeti, le stelle e l'eventuale vita al di fuori del nostro pianeta é qualcosa che abbiamo appena cominciato a studiare e la strada é ancora lunga, ma certo non si puó dire che non sia un percorso affascinante.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

What a dream it would be to work at the Carl Sagan Institute. Dr. Kaltenegger offers glimpses into her life and career in astrophysics and research in studying plantary outerspace, and her lifelong enthusiasm and fascination for this exploration comes across very clearly. I liked when she provided a framework for the science by relaying how her students talked about it, because it felt like she made for a terrific professor. I would have liked the book to be a little more accessible to the layperson, and a little more organized thematically, but even Carl Sagan enthusiasts can only aspire to be such an infectious and illuminating storyteller as he was. Anyone who's even tangentially related to his work is remarkable, and such is the case with Dr. Kaltenegger. Try not to be disappointed when you leave this book not knowing the answer to whether we've found extraterrestrial life out there!

It’s one big mystery: life on other planets. Lisa Kaltenegger gives us a fascinating and comprehensible look at unexpected discoveries in the universe. For anyone that thinks this is a “stuffy and rigid” subject, she will prove you wrong with all sorts of ways astronomers are exploring new planets with advanced technology.

She explained how Earth has changed from a billion years ago. Kaltenegger makes comparisons that are simple to understand. Who would have ever thought about raisin bread and the big bang explosion? She said at first the raisins are close together. Then when dough rises, the raisins spread out just like the stars in the universe. This made me smile.

This book engages readers to learn and understand more about Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon and Sun along with other surrounding planets outside of our solar system. She answers questions like: What is the meaning of tardigrades on the moon? How does one search for life in the cosmos? What is the significance of posters at an international collaboration with scientists? Why is it impossible for humans to live on almost all other planets?

Kaltenegger talks about her work as the Director at the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell. She says it wasn’t easy as a female to advance with this type of career. However, at 46 years old, her accomplishments are impressive. She hopes that someday there will be a way of space traveling safely to areas where we can only dream about now.

This is an easy-to-read, interesting book. The only thing missing is the visual look at what she’s describing which is why she has a big following at live presentations. I love her comments about science fiction books and movies. While there hasn’t been proof yet of other types of life, she notes that with 200 billion stars in our galaxy, it’s just a matter of time when it happens.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of April 16, 2024.

I received a free copy of, Alien Earths, by Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger , from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Space has always fascinated me, how we are not alone in this vast universe of ours. This is an enjoyable read about earth and the other planets.

I loved this book for the perspective it gave on why space exploration is important.
The context o understand space exploration is not always clear. This is changing with times as our requirements for a safe earth change. Long ago it was this letter to a nun. https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/why-explore-space

This is a very accessible read. Made me look at how light can reveal so many secrets of where its been.. why JWST needs to have big mirrors.

What is an alien? How astrobiology can help us learn more. How DNA has been advanced from 4 base letters to 8 understand more.

I cant eat an apple now without thinking of our earth.

For a peek into the mysteries of space and the increasing relevance of our relation with space, read this book. I am excited about all we are going to learn from the planned launches to TItan, Jupiter moons in the coming years 2034, 2037....

Happy Orionids Viewing..

Time to get your space calendar out.. I say...

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Alien Earths! Wow, this book packs a lot of information into a relatively small package. I learned so much more than I had anticipated not just about current efforts in astrobiology, but about the history of our galaxy and our planet. While Dr. Kaltenegger covers a lot of information in this book, however, I will say that it felt a bit disjointed at times. Each chapter has “mini-chapters” that focus on a mix of specific topics and Kaltenegger’s personal experiences. While a good tool for moving between topics, I did fail to see the connections at times. I was also hoping to read more directly about astrobiology and current efforts, and I did not realize that a good portion of this book talks more generally about our solar system/galaxy and Earth’s history. As someone personally very interested in astrobiology and the search for life, I will say that I was hoping for more out of this book. However, for those more generally interested in these topics, this will make for a fantastic and comprehensive introduction about what we know and how we know it when it comes to astrobiology and broader astronomy.