Hidden in the Heavens

How the Kepler Mission’s Quest for New Planets Changed How We View Our Own

De: Jason Steffen

Narrado por: Perry Daniels

Are we alone in the universe? It's a fundamental question for Earth-dwelling humankind. Are there other worlds like ours, out there somewhere? In Hidden in the Heavens, Jason Steffen, a former scientist on NASA's Kepler mission, describes how that mission searched for planets orbiting Sun-like stars—especially Earth-like planets circulating in Earth-like orbits. What the Kepler space telescope found, Steffen reports, contradicted centuries of theoretical and observational work and transformed our understanding of planets, planetary systems, and the stars they orbit. Kepler discovered thousands of planets orbiting distant stars—a bewildering variety of celestial bodies, including rocky planets being vaporized by the intense heat of their host star; super-Earths and sub-Neptunes; gas giants several times the size and mass of Jupiter; and planets orbiting in stellar systems that had only been imagined in science fiction.

Steffen offers a unique, inside account of the work of the Kepler science team (and the sometimes chaotic interactions among team members), mapping the progress of the mission from the launch of the rocket that carried Kepler into space to the revelations of the data that began to flow to the supercomputer back at NASA—evidence of strange new worlds unlike anything found in our own solar system.

©2024 Jason Steffen (P)2024 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Loved this!

A great peek into the world of launching a space telescope. Highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about Kepler.

Good Book

This is one of those sorts of audiobooks I can sit and just listen to all the way through. The narrator did a good job. The author made a good book. An informative tale of his time working on kepler space telescope about how finding exo planets works. Sorta a behind the scenes look into the kepler mission. pretty interesting!

Well written analysis of astronomy mission

Thoughtful and succinct analysis of complex science and method by a member of the astronomy mission. Good mix of science, policy, and personal