Renowned Astrophysicist and Author Caleb Scharf to Speak on Earth's Cosmic Status in Westport

What does the future hold for Earth? What is our true cosmic status? How significant and unique are we? Columbia University’s renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf will address these questions and discuss his new book "The Copernicus Complex: Our Cosmic Significance in a Universe of Planets and Probabilities" on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. in the Westport Library’s McManus Room. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the free public program, which is made possible by The Anne Eyes Endowment.

Scharf is the director of the multidisciplinary Columbia Astrobiology Center. His new book is an investigation into the latest scientific thinking about the age-old question of the significance and uniqueness of life on Earth. Weaving together cutting-edge science and classic storytelling, historical accounts and speculations on what the future holds, "The Copernicus Complex" presents an argument for the cosmic status of Earth, and proposes a way forward in the ultimate quest: to determine life’s abundance not, just across this universe but across all realities.

Scharf writes for The New Yorker, New Scientist, Science, Scientific American, and Nature, among other publications, and has served as a consultant for the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, and The New York Times. He has been a keynote speaker for the American Museum of Natural History and the Rubin Museum of Art, and is the author of Gravity's Engines. His Scientific American Blog, "Life Unbounded," covers topics in astronomy, exoplanetary science, and astrobiology.

The Westport Library is located at 20 Jesup Rd. in Westport, Conn. For more information, phone (203) 291-4800, or visit westportlibrary.org.