extrasolar planets

Pursued by a killer cyborg tank and surrounded by snakes that spit fire, teenage friends Zak and Erro the furling from the planet Quom, must figure out a way to survive if they are ever to escape from the prison planet called Alcatraz--a situation they are in because they stowed away on a space ship they did not know was headed here.

"Four mutant animals--LaserShark, AstroWolf, SmartHawk, and StinkBug--have been created by NNASA (Not-NASA) to explore other planets. The criteria: 1. Must be unoccupied. 2. Must support human life. When the Nuts reach their first destination, the Plant Planet, it looks positively perfect for their purposes. It's lush with plant life, full of natural food, and seemingly uninhabited. But what if that plant life can think for itself? And what if it thinks it doesn't like our Nuts?"--Back cover.

A brief biography of Sara Seager, an astrophysicist who is leading the quest to explore planets beyond the solar system.

"The Planet Factory tells the story of exoplanets, planets orbiting stars outside of our solar system. Discover the specks of dust that circle a young star come together in a violent building project that can form colossal worlds hundreds of times the size of the Earth; the changing orbits of young planets that risk dooming the life forming on neighboring worlds or, alternatively, that can deliver the key ingredients needed to seed its beginnings"--Jacket flap.

" ... Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, ... In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This ... book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined"--Amazon.com.

Readers will enjoy indulging in alien theories all the while learning science and history.

Looks at the science behind the discovery of extrasolar planets and the actions scientists are taking to learn more about them.--.

". . . examines the planets outside of our solar system and uncovers what makes them habitable, our efforts to discover new life, and more"--Amazon.com.

The past few years have seen an incredible explosion in our knowledge of the universe. Since its 2009 launch, the Kepler satellite has discovered more than two thousand exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. More exoplanets are being discovered all the time, and even more remarkable than the sheer number of exoplanets is their variety. In Exoplanets, astronomer Michael Summers and physicist James Trefil explore these remarkable recent discoveries: planets revolving around pulsars, planets made of diamond, planets that are mostly water, and numerous rogue planets wandering through the emptiness of space. This captivating book reveals the latest discoveries and argues that the incredible richness and complexity we are finding necessitates a change in our questions and mental paradigms. In short, we have to change how we think about the universe and our place in it, because it is stranger and more interesting than we could have imagined.

Learn about the planets that exist outside of our solar system, and the actions scientists are taking to learn more about them. --Provided by publisher.