Extraterrestrial

Harvard's top astronomer takes us inside the mind-blowing story of the first interstellar visitor to our solar system

In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed a strange object soaring through our inner solar system. Astrophysicist Avi Loeb conclusively showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and leaving no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization.

In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his theory and its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars-and to think critically about what's out there, no matter how strange it seems.

About the Author

Abraham (AVI) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where he directs the Black Hole initiative and the Institute for Theory and Computation. He was the longest-serving chair in the history of Harvard's astronomy department.

A member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, he also chairs the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot initiative and the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies, and serves as the science theory director for all initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.

Author of five books and 800 scientific papers, Loeb is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts.