---
title: "18 Planets Quotes By Seth Shostak"
description: "18 Planets quotes by Seth Shostak. Plus more from Seth Shostak and more Planets sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/seth-shostak-2047_aftermath_clearly-enriching-the-cosmos-with-heavy_1432684.jpg"
---

> [Clearly, enriching the cosmos with heavy elements takes a while. So there's inevitably an interval between the sterile aftermath of the Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/clearly-enriching-the-cosmos-with-heavy-elements-takes-a-while-so/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/638/seth-shostak-2047_aftermath_clearly-enriching-the-cosmos-with-heavy_1432684.jpg)

> [I got interested in astronomy at the age of 8 because I was looking at an atlas of the planets in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-got-interested-in-astronomy-at-the-age-of-8-because-i-was-looking/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/seth-shostak-2047_age_i-got-interested-in-astronomy-at-the-age_2453889.png)

> [Planets that don't currently sport plate tectonics, such as Venus and Mars, are scarcely habitable. Tectonics might be a requirement of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/planets-that-don-t-currently-sport-plate-tectonics-such-as-venus-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d46/seth-shostak-2047_any_planets-that-don-t-currently-sport-plate_874216.png)

> [The stars look the same from night to night. Nebulae and galaxies are dully immutable, maintaining the same overall appearance for thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-stars-look-the-same-from-night-to-night-nebulae-and-galaxies-are/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/seth-shostak-2047_appearance_the-stars-look-the-same-from-night-to-ni_1892585.png)

> [The mission of NASA's Kepler telescope is to lift the scales from our eyes and reveal to us just how typical our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-mission-of-nasa-s-kepler-telescope-is-to-lift-the-scales-from-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_the-mission-of-nasa-s-kepler-telescope-i_1678288.jpg)

> [Data from orbiting telescopes like NASA's Kepler Mission hint that the tally of habitable planets in our galaxy is many billion. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/data-from-orbiting-telescopes-like-nasa-s-kepler-mission-hint-that/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/seth-shostak-2047_billion_data-from-orbiting-telescopes-like-nasa_1990949.png)

> [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/seth-shostak-2047_able_this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-fi_162681.png)

> [It bears mentioning that the Milky Way is only one of 150 billion galaxies visible to our telescopes - and each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/it-bears-mentioning-that-the-milky-way-is-only-one-of-150-billion/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/seth-shostak-2047_bears_it-bears-mentioning-that-the-milky-way-i_3133384.png)

> [There is a point of view among astronomical researchers that is generally referred to as the Principle of Mediocrity. ... If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/there-is-a-point-of-view-among-astronomical-researchers-that-is/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/858/seth-shostak-2047_be-prepared_there-is-a-point-of-view-among-astronomi_681703.jpg)

> [Recent results from astronomers who study the occasional gravitational lensing of unknown worlds by intervening stars suggest that orphan planets could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/recent-results-from-astronomers-who-study-the-occasional/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad4/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_recent-results-from-astronomers-who-stud_748900.png)

> [The bottom line is that finding orphan planets - small, faint, and located who-knows-where - is not for the faint of heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-bottom-line-is-that-finding-orphan-planets-small-faint-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/204/seth-shostak-2047_bottom_the-bottom-line-is-that-finding-orphan-p_2437719.png)

> [In the four years since its launch, Kepler has chalked up 122 new and confirmed planets. It's also caught the scent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-the-four-years-since-its-launch-kepler-has-chalked-up-122-new-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/seth-shostak-2047_additional_in-the-four-years-since-its-launch-keple_2937583.jpg)

> [The planets and moons of our solar system are blatantly visible because they reflect sunlight. Without the nearby Sun, these planets would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-system-are-blatantly-visible/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/seth-shostak-2047_because_the-planets-and-moons-of-our-solar-syste_2245455.jpg)

> [Estimates are that at least 70 per cent of all stars are accompanied by planets, and since the latter can occur in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/estimates-are-that-at-least-70-per-cent-of-all-stars-are-accompanied/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/seth-shostak-2047_accompanied_estimates-are-that-at-least-70-per-cent_635953.png)

> [The split between religion and science is relatively new. Isaac Newton, who first worked out the laws by which gravity held the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-split-between-religion-and-science-is-relatively-new-isaac-newton/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/seth-shostak-2047_god_the-split-between-religion-and-science-i_564319.png)

> [Scientists - who prefer explanations subject to laboratory tests - figure that everything we see today was as inevitable as wrinkles, once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/scientists-who-prefer-explanations-subject-to-laboratory-tests-figure/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/seth-shostak-2047_astronomy_scientists-who-prefer-explanations-subje_2427198.png)

> [The math is dead simple: it seems that the frequency of planets able to support life is roughly one percent. In other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-math-is-dead-simple-it-seems-that-the-frequency-of-planets-able/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/seth-shostak-2047_able_the-math-is-dead-simple-it-seems-that-th_2396153.jpg)

> [Diminutive worlds are more likely to be rocky, and lapped by oceans and atmospheres. In the vernacular of 'Star Trek,' these would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be-rocky-and-lapped-by-oceans/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/seth-shostak-2047_begin_diminutive-worlds-are-more-likely-to-be_835937.jpg)

## Other authors on Planets

## More by Seth Shostak

> [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [As far as I can tell, the only unambiguous consequence of the claimed invasion of Earth by beings from another star system has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/as-far-as-i-can-tell-the-only-unambiguous-consequence-of-the-claimed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [If you could drive straight down, into a tunnel bored through the crust of the planet, you'd hit this molten mess in about an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/if-you-could-drive-straight-down-into-a-tunnel-bored-through-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [While I have always thought that the motivation for looking for E.T. was both self-evident and patently worthy, it's possible that I'm a victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/while-i-have-always-thought-that-the-motivation-for-looking-for-e-t/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/i-studied-latin-in-high-school-and-i-was-reading-stuff-from-cicero/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [About the only things that are unique to Earth are our biota and our culture. If aliens ever come here, they'd most likely be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/about-the-only-things-that-are-unique-to-earth-are-our-biota-and-our/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [This plucky NASA telescope is able to find planets en masse. If you compare planet hunting to prospecting for gold, then Kepler is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/this-plucky-nasa-telescope-is-able-to-find-planets-en-masse-if-you/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Buying insurance is no one's idea of fun. And it's especially easy to berate something as funky-sounding as writing checks to defend our neighborhoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/buying-insurance-is-no-one-s-idea-of-fun-and-it-s-especially-easy-to/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

> [Plate tectonics is not all havoc and destruction. The slow movement of continents and ocean floors recycles carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/plate-tectonics-is-not-all-havoc-and-destruction-the-slow-movement-of/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

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                        "text": "Data from orbiting telescopes like NASA's Kepler Mission hint that the tally of habitable planets in our galaxy is many billion. If E.T.'s not out there, then Earth is more than merely special - it's some sort of miracle.",
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