Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space

I loved this book. I learned so much and it opened my mind on the possibility of life forming in ways I had not even fathomed. It was a page turner for me. I bought this book for my Dad and he loved it too! Please, write more!

"Alien Oceans" begins with director James Cameron and a crew being plunged in a submersible deep into the ocean, toward the seafloor. No, he is not being banished for bringing the world "Avatar," or even worse, threatening the world with numerous "Avatar" sequels. He was down there doing research for another movie (from "The Abyss" to "Titanic," it's safe to say Mr. Cameron is some kind of aquaphile). Kevin Peter Hand, the author of "Alien Oceans," was down there with Cameron, but for other reasons. His interests lays in the heavens, among the stars, or, to be more precise, among the icy moons of our solar system."Alien Oceans" is a very informative, somewhat entertaining exploration of what we know about oceans on other planets, and what scientifically grounded speculation exists about how we might learn more, and what that might mean for us as a species, if it fact we do make contact with other forms of life. It's written by an expert but pitched to the general reader (If I understand a scientific concept, it has been sufficiently dumbed down).The book is definitely worth your time, if you're interested in space exploration and the potential for the more plausible types of life we're likely to find out there, if indeed any exist. My only complaint is that the focus on organic and molecular composition is not balanced by much of a look at exobiology. I understand that the book is a respectable foray by a pedigreed specialist, but a bit more wonder did creep into the text from time to time, and I wish the author had indulged this tendency, and spent a tad less bit time with the Periodic Table and the medium through which creatures might swim, and spent a little more time with the potential creatures themselves. Those from hard science backgrounds are likely to feel the opposite way, and will be grateful for the chemistry-centric focus of the book. Recommended, in any case. With photos, drawings, some charts, and models.

For someone interested in space and the possibility of life on other planets, this book has the idea broken down so us non science people can understand it. I really enjoyed this book.

This is one of the best explanations of the significance of water and extraterrestrial life that I have ever read.It is written in a concise and easy to read manner without being overly simplistic, so that even those who know quite a bit about recent physics and cosmology will still learn something. There are some complicated explanations of physics and chemistry as it applies to water molecules and how water behaves but still not at all text book-ish. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in current thinking and discoveries about the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and renewed hope for those who believe it is common throughout the universe, or at least in our galaxy.

Kevin Hand does a marvelous job distilling an extremely complex subject into a cohesive, accessible, well-organized story that is highly engaging. Making the case for the existence of alien ocean worlds is an ambitious task and necessarily involves primers on most of the courses you probably took back in high school: earth science, biology, chemistry and physics. But the author skillfully uses familiar analogies and metaphors to methodically construct an argument, revealing a great deal of insight into our own oceans while taking us on a tour across the solar system to reveal the evidence for the existence of oceans on other moons. Perhaps the most interesting part of this book includes the chapters where the author delves deep into the very core of what defines and constitutes life and then hypothesizes on the question most of us have pondered at one point or another - what might extraterrestrial 'life' look like? This is a timely escape to help remind us of the wonders found in our own solar system beyond earth.

I was hoping for something a little more focused on the potential for e.t. life forms based on detailed analysis of how their biology might actually evolve and maintain. Seems to me a certain focus on deep ocean life on earth, but repeated too much throughout the book. Still, interesting, but not quite as much as I'd hoped for.

An excellent overview of the subject of the search for life in the oceans of the moons of the outer planets. He's quite good at making complex things understandable and relatable, and his enthusiasm is contagious. The book drags a little at the end when he comes up against the problems of actually doing the exploring, but that's inevitable. I would rate this a must-read for anyone interested in space exploration in general and the search for extraterrestrial life specifically. The Kindle version is fine, though it has the usual drawbacks, most notable a section labeled Color Plates that of course are not. The many charts and graphics, however, are easily accessible. In closing I'd just like to say, may the author's every wish in this area come true.

Where to begin. I’ve not taken any science class for over a decade and have no training in the area. By the end of the book, I had developed a pretty good grasp of the concepts in scientific terms and able to converse with biologists about it. So the first takeaway is that it’s very digestible for a non technical reader.The second is this idea of ocean planets and the new Goldilocks zone is mind blowing. As someone who’s keen on the ocean, it’s very interesting to see how tidal effects can be enlarged so much to create heating that’s seen on moons like Enceladus and Europa. Reading this made me excited to see what happens with the Europa Clipper mission in a few years and the potential lander mission.

I enjoy reading science books, sometimes I’m left a little disappointed. Not here, this is a well written account of how we discovered subsurface oceans and what that might mean for the Search for Life. I enjoyed how the text incorporated oceanography and explored possible metabolisms and ecosystems and finally reviewed some future mission plans. Thoroughly recommend.

The only space book I've read before this was Carl Sagan's Cosmos. In that book Carl imagined what life might look like if it evolved on a gas planet like Jupiter. It would have to be light enough to float in the convection currents and could evolve to trap air so it could float. In this configuration is could be about a kilometre across.When I read that I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I randomly heard an interview with the author of this book on the Planetary Radio podcast and basically bought the book immediately.To me I found this book fascinating. I loved the description of Titan. Rivers and lakes made from liquid methane and mountains made from ice is so cool to think about.

I am no physicist - astro or otherwise - but am fascinated by the search for extraterrestrial life. This book is enthralling and well written by an author who knows his subject and is obviously keen to make it accessible and understandable to the layman. In order to search for water-based life out there, it is necessary to understand life here on earth. Some of those cold, apparently lifeless worlds could very well be teeming with lifeforms. As with other books of this genre, I shall look forward to re-reading it (in order to understand the finer points better) at a later date.

First book I have read about the moons of the solar system

I couldn't put it down! It is very well written, easy to follow and up to date. It explains concepts in an understandable way. All I want to do is grab a probe and go explore these ocean worlds right away! We need answers! The topic is extremely fascinating to me.