The Little Book of Exoplanets

By: Joshua N. Winn

Narrated by: Joshua N. Winn

In this audiobook, astrophysicist Joshua Winn provides an accessible introduction to exoplanets and explains the cutting-edge science behind recent discoveries

For centuries, people have speculated about the possibility of planets orbiting distant stars, but only since the 1990s has technology allowed astronomers to detect them. At this point, more than five thousand such exoplanets have been identified, with the pace of discovery accelerating after the launch of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Satellite Survey and the Webb Space Telescope. In The Little Book of Exoplanets, Princeton astrophysicist Joshua Winn offers a brief and engaging introduction to the search for exoplanets and the cutting-edge science behind recent findings. In doing so, he chronicles the dawn of a new age of discovery—one that has rapidly transformed astronomy and our broader understanding of the universe.

Scientists now know that many Sun-like stars host their own systems of planets, some of which may resemble our solar system and include planets similar to the Earth. But, Winn tells us, the most remarkable discoveries so far have been of planets with unexpected and decidedly un-Earth-like properties, which have upended what we thought we knew about the origins of planetary systems. Winn provides an inside view of the sophisticated detective work astronomers perform as they find and study exoplanets and describes the surprising—sometimes downright bizarre—planets and systems they have found. He explains how these discoveries are revolutionizing astronomy, and he explores the current status and possible future of the search for another Earth. Finally, drawing on his own and other scientists’ work, he considers how the discovery of exoplanets and their faraway solar systems changes our perspectives on the universe and our place in it.

©2023 Joshua N. Winn (P)2023 Princeton University Press

Absorbing and Very Fast Listen

This is a great and relatively recent overview of the state of exoplanet science. It also features lots of recommendations for further reading.

Surprisingly interesting read

I love popular science books, but do not have a keen interest in exoplanets. However, this book was surprisingly interesting despite my initial lack of interest that I had in the subject matter. The author stays very close to the data and gives you a great overview of the field as it currently sits. You learn a lot about planets that you would definitely not learn about in a typical astronomy-focused book. I definitely recommend the read.

Interstellar Examination

This book is both entertaining and a true trek across our side of the Milky Way. It's always a pleasure when an author reads their own book, and that's the case here. A lecturer for years, he speaks clearly, enthusiastically, and above all else informatively. I went into this book with some planetary science knowledge already at hand, but this book was approachable enough that I didn't really need too much of it, and in depth enough that I really expanded my knowledge from it!

In short, Joshua Winn certainly knows what he's talking about, and after he explains it so clearly and intricately in this book, you'll know a lot of it too!