The only problem with writing about the history of extraterrestrial worlds is we have neither met any organism from another planet nor received any transmission from another planetary system. So, Michael Lemonick’s Other Worlds focuses on how Earth’s inhabitants are trying to find planets outside the Solar System.

All of this attention is due to the Drake equation, first posited in 1961. This equation was devised to try to calculate the number of extraterrestrial planets and the probability of interacting with them.

So, Lemonick traveled around the country, visiting with top-tier astronomers and cosmologists to gain a better insight into the ongoing experiments designed to help us gain a better understanding of the universe. From the Keck Observatory in Hawai’i to the many projects underway at NASA, he delves into both the mechanisms required to find extraterrestrial life and the implications for mankind in general.

The book has a more journalistic tone than a scientific one, but on the whole, this volume fits more in the 500s (science) than the 900s, but who am I to argue with the Library of Congress? I enjoyed it a lot, though. So much so, that upon buying a house, I plan to buy a decent telescope to investigate local astronomical interests.

Full review at: http://lifelongdewey.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/999-other-worlds-by-michael-lemoni...