by Rich Sherman

Title: Under Alien Skies

Author: Philip Plait Ph.D. 

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Publication Date: May 2024

Grade:  B+

Hardback $16.04, Paperback $16.38 on Amazon

Total Pages: 336

This is a fun book. The author takes us on a journey around the heavens to tell us what it would be like to visit planets and moons and other objects in space. Dr. Plait makes the science relatable by describing what we would experience and sense on a visit to these bodies—from the difficulty of ambulation on low gravity objects (e.g., the Moon), to the challenge of insomnia living on a planet which orbits multiple stars, to the beautiful blue sunsets on Mars. I enjoyed the book, especially the first half, when we visit the Moon and Mars, Saturn, and Pluto. There are lots of humorous quips which are nice additions to the book. The second half gets a bit slow, as we visit other bodies and eventually slip into a black hole (ouch). At $16 for the hardback, it is hard to go wrong with picking up a copy. I just wished “Under Alien Skies” was about 50 pages shorter.