Joshua N. Winn at the Harvard Science Center

Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome JOSHUA N. WINN—professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University—for a discussion of his new book The Little Book of Exoplanets.

Ticketing

There are two ticket options available for this event. Joshua will sign copies of his book after the presentation.

Free General Admission Ticket: Includes admission for one.

Book-Included Ticket: Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of The Little Book of Exoplanets.

About The Little Book of Exoplanets

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 Survey Satellite 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.

Praise for The Little Book of Exoplanets

"Due to Winn's straightforward writing style and the book's helpful charts, this work is ideal for non-scientists or beginning astronomers." —Dave Pugl, Library Journal

"Belying its modest title, Joshua Winn’s The Little Book of Exoplanets is an extraordinary, far-reaching astronomy book that describes the exploration of planets outside our solar system." —Kristen Rabe, Foreword Reviews

"The Little Book of Exoplanets opens up a Universe that is extraordinary and enticing . . . .It is refreshing that Winn trusts his audience enough to dive into the data and show them the true work of an astronomer: making sense of figures. It is this focus on process that gives this work the potential to be an exoplanet classic with staying power." —Emma Johanna Puranen, BBC Sky At Night

Mask Policy

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.