Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars

Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars (also known as Interstellar) is a popular science book written by American theoretical physicist and Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb that was published by Mariner Books on 29 August 2023.

On 24 August 2023, The New York Times published an article about Loeb and his related search for signs of extraterrestrial life, as well as his related publications, including Extraterrestrial (2021) and Interstellar (2023).

Contents
Author Avi Loeb, according to Sarah Scoles of Undark Magazine, claims that a "search for physical evidence of alien technology within our solar system represents not just an interesting scientific pursuit but also one that will elevate our species, perhaps by connecting it to more advanced cosmic civilizations". According to Loeb, it's "arrogant of us to think that we are alone, that we don't have a neighbor out there. ... There are tens of billions of planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone and hundreds of billions of galaxies like the Milky Way in the observable volume of the universe, ... Perhaps noticing a neighbor will be a wake-up call that will bring us together, ... There might be many more neighbors that are far more accomplished than we are, and we can learn from them. So my hope is that it will bring humanity to a better place in the long term future."

Reviews
Book reviewer Leonard David notes that Interstellar is a "mind-meld of philosophy, physics, and cutting-edge science ... [and] blueprints a radical approach to our search for ET – and how best to brace for the reality of what's ahead". Sarah Scoles of Undark Magazine states that, "Loeb makes solid points about how modern science works, and could work better." but also writes that "the book is a fairly disorganized, rambling affair whose topics and metaphors leap wildly to and fro." A Daily Kos book reviewer writes that Interstellar "provides a realistic and practical blueprint for how a [human and alien life] interaction might actually occur, resetting our cultural understanding and expectation of what it means to identify an extraterrestrial object. ... [the author] also lays out the profound implications of becoming—or not becoming—interstellar; in an urgent, eloquent appeal for more proactive engagement with the world beyond ours, powerfully contends why we must seek out other life forms, and in the process, choose who and what we are within the universe." According to book reviewer Patrick Rapa of The Philadelphia Inquirer, "I think Loeb's brand of data-based speculation is useful. And fun. Why not imagine the possibilities? Nobody knows what Oumuamua, [an interstellar object], was. What's the harm in dreaming?"