Sara Seager
Sara Seager Helen B. Warner Prize (2007) Harvard Book Prize in Astronomy (2004) NSERC Science and Technology Fellowship (1990–1994) | |
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Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy, Planetary science |
Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2007–) Carnegie Institution of Washington (2002–2006) Institute for Advanced Study (1999–2002) |
Thesis | Extrasolar giant planets under strong stellar irradiation (1999) |
Doctoral advisor | Dimitar Sasselov[1][2] |
Website | seagerexoplanets |
External videos | |
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Sara Seager, “The search for planets beyond our solar system”, TED2015 | |
“Space Experts Discuss the Search for Life in the Universe at NASA”, NASA 2014 | |
“Sara Seager ”, Origins 2011 |
Sara Seager
Background
Seager was born in
She earned her BSc degree in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Toronto in 1994, assisted by a NSERC University Undergraduate Student Research Award, and a PhD in astronomy from Harvard University in 1999. Her doctoral thesis developed theoretical models of atmospheres on extrasolar planets and was supervised by Dimitar Sasselov.[1][2][15]
She held a
She was elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020.[18]
She is married to Charles Darrow and they have two sons from her first marriage. Her first spouse, Michael Wevrick, died of cancer in 2011.[19][20]
Academic research
Seager's research has been primarily directed toward the discovery and analysis of
Seager has been the chair of the NASA Science and Technology Definition team for a proposed mission, "
In years since 2020, Sara has been focusing on work related to Venus, with the potential discovery of phosphine, a biosignature gas, in the upper atmosphere.[27]
Seager equation
Seager developed a parallel version of the Drake equation to estimate the number of habitable planets in the Galaxy.[28] Instead of aliens with radio technology, Seager has revised the Drake equation to focus on simply the presence of any alien life detectable from Earth. The equation focuses on the search for planets with biosignature gases, gases produced by life that can accumulate in a planet atmosphere to levels that can be detected with remote space telescopes.[28]
where:
- N = the number of planets with detectable signs of life
- N* = the number of stars observed
- FQ = the fraction of stars that are quiet
- FHZ = the fraction of stars with rocky planets in the habitable zone
- FO = the fraction of stars with observable planets
- FL = the fraction of planets that have life
- FS = the fraction of life forms that produce planetary atmospheres with one or more detectable signature gases
Asteria Spacecraft
Seager was the principal investigator of the Asteria (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) spacecraft,[29] a 6-U cubesat designed to do precision photometry to search for extrasolar planets, a collaborative project between MIT and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ASTERIA was launched into low Earth orbit from the International Space Station on 20 November 2017, and successfully operated until its orbital decay on 24 April 2020.
Venus Life Finder
In 2020, Seager led a team proposing a mission
Honors and awards
Seager was awarded the 2012 Sackler Prize for "analysis of the atmospheres and internal compositions of extra-solar planets,"[33] the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2007 for developing "fundamental techniques for understanding, analyzing, and finding the atmospheres of extrasolar planets,"[34] and the 2004 Harvard Book Prize in Astronomy.[35] She was appointed as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012 and elected to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as an honorary member in 2013.[3] In September 2013 she became a MacArthur Fellow.[36] She was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2018.[37] She was the Elizabeth R. Laird Lecturer at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2018.[38] On 19 August 2020 Seager appeared on the Lex Fridman Podcast (#116).[39]
In 2020, she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.[40] She won the 2020 Los Angeles Times Prize for Science and Technology for The Smallest Lights in the Universe.[41]
She was an honorary graduand at her Alma Mater, the University of Toronto Spring 2023 Convocation. [42]
Publications
Books
- Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara (2003). Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara (eds.). Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets. ASP Conference Proceedings (Volume 294). Vol. 294. San Francisco. ISBN 1-58381-141-9.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Seager, Sara (2010). Exoplanet Atmospheres: Physical Processes. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400835300.
- Seager, Sara (2010). Exoplanets. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-2945-2.
- Seager, Sara (2020). The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir. Crown. ISBN 978-0-5255-7625-9.
Journal articles
- Seager, S.; Sasselov, D. D. (2000). "Theoretical Transmission Spectra during Extrasolar Giant Planet Transits". S2CID 15900986.
- Seager, S.; Mallen-Ornelas, G. (2003). "A Unique Solution of Planet and Star Parameters from an Extrasolar Planet Transit Light Curve". S2CID 14274640.
- Benjamin, Robert A.; Churchwell, E.; Babler, Brian L.; Bania, T. M.; Clemens, Dan P.; Cohen, Martin; Dickey, John M.; Indebetouw, Rémy; Jackson, James M.; Kobulnicky, Henry A.; S2CID 119510724.
- Deming, Drake; Seager, Sara; Richardson, L. Jeremy; Harrington, Joseph (2005). "Infrared radiation from an extrasolar planet". S2CID 4404769.
- Borucki, WJ; et al. (2010). "Kepler Planet-Detection Mission: Introduction and First Results" (PDF). S2CID 22858074.
- Borucki, William J.; Koch, David G.; Basri, Gibor; Batalha, Natalie; Brown, Timothy M.; Bryson, Stephen T.; Caldwell, Douglas; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jørgen; Cochran, William D.; Devore, Edna; Dunham, Edward W.; Gautier, Thomas N.; Geary, John C.; Gilliland, Ronald; Gould, Alan; Howell, Steve B.; Jenkins, Jon M.; Latham, David W.; Lissauer, Jack J.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Rowe, Jason; Sasselov, Dimitar; Boss, Alan; Charbonneau, David; Ciardi, David; Doyle, Laurance; Dupree, Andrea K.; Ford, Eric B.; Fortney, Jonathan; et al. (2011). "Characteristics of Planetary Candidates Observed by Kepler, II: Analysis of the First Four Months of Data". S2CID 15233153.
See also
References
- ^ YouTube
- ^ PMID 27383967.
- ^ a b c d "Curricula Vitae – Professor Sara Seager" (PDF). 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Jones, Chris (7 December 2016). "The Woman Who Might Find Us Another Earth". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ISBN 9781400835300.
- ISBN 978-0-8165-2945-2.
- ^ "The Fifth Annual Brilliant 10: Worms, planets, extra dimensions: just a few of the things that inspire the most creative young scientists of the year". Popular Science. 13 September 2006. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Witman, Sarah; Grant, Andrew; Svoboda, Elizabeth (20 November 2008). "20 Best Brains Under 40: Young innovators are changing everything from theoretical mathematics to cancer therapy". Discover. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- PMID 22193082.
- ^ Bjerklie, David (2012). "The 25 Most Influential People in Space" (PDF). Time. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2013.
- ^ "MacArthur Fellows: Meet the Class of 2013: Sara Seager". MacArthur Foundation. 25 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Cohen, Anne (27 September 2013). "Four Jews Win MacArthur 'Genius' Awards". The Forward. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ISBN 978-3-319-09623-0. Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8027-7902-1. Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ProQuest 304503987.
- ^ "MIT Corporation grants tenure to 50 faculty". MIT News Office. 14 November 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "Corporation announces faculty promotions and appointments". MIT News Office. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ "AAS Fellows". American Astronomical Society. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- The Huffington Post. Archivedfrom the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Obituary: Michael Wevrick". Ottawa Citizen. 13 August 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ Rodriguez, Joshua (3 October 2008). "On a quest for astronomy's holy grail". NASA. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ "Of Gas Dwarfs and Waterworlds". Celestia forum. 15 June 2004. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ "StarGen – Solar System Generator". 2003. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ^ "Exoplanet Interior Composition". Sara Seager. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Kramer, Miriam (March 24, 2014). "Incredible Technology: Giant Starshade Could Help Find an Alien Earth", Space.com. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Grossman, Lisa (25 September 2013). "NASA revives Starshade to let Earth-like worlds shine", New Scientist. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- EarthSky. Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b Powell, Devin (4 September 2013). "The Drake Equation Revisited: Interview with Planet Hunter Sara Seager". Astrobiology Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Seager, Sara (Jan/Feb. 2021). "My satellite would fit in a small suitcase. But it could help us find other worlds" (excerpt from book The Smallest Lights in the Universe (2020).) MIT News, pp. 12-17. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- MIT. 10 December 2021. pp. 15–23. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- MIT. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- MIT. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Sara Seager Named Co-Winner of the 2012 Sackler Prize". MIT News Office. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Helen B. Warner Prize". American Astronomical Society. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
- ^ "Bok Prize Recipients". Harvard University Department of Astronomy. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ "Sara Seager: Astrophysicist | Class of 2013". MacArthur Foundation. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ "Election of New Members at the 2018 Spring Meeting". American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Foss, Kelly (20 September 2018). "Holy Grail". Gazette – Memorial University of Newfoundland. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "#116 – Sara Seager: Search for Planets and Life Outside Our Solar System". Lex Fridman. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ "Governor General Announces 114 New Appointments to the Order of Canada". Governor General of Canada. 27 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Dorany (17 April 2021). "Winners of the 2020 L.A. Times Book Prizes announced". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Spring 2023 Convocation". 15 June 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Sara Seager at MIT
- Sara Seager at WNET
- Sara Seager at TED