Sara Seager facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sara Seager
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Seager at a 2016 conference
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| Born | 21 July 1971 |
| Nationality | Canadian–American |
| Citizenship | Canada–United States |
| Education | University of Toronto (BSc) Harvard University (PhD) |
| Known for | Search for extrasolar planets |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Darrow |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Order of Canada (2020, Officer) MacArthur Fellowship (2013) Helen B. Warner Prize (2007) Harvard Book Prize in Astronomy (2004) NSERC Science and Technology Fellowship (1990–1994) |
| 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 |
Sara Seager is a Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist. She is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is famous for her work on extrasolar planets, which are planets outside our solar system. She also studies their atmospheres, which are the layers of gases around them.
Seager has written two important textbooks about these topics. Her research has been recognized by many magazines like Popular Science and TIME Magazine. In 2013, she received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship. This award recognized her ideas for finding chemical signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres. It also honored her work on building low-cost space telescopes to watch planets pass in front of their stars.
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Early Life and Education
Sara Seager was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 21, 1971. Her father, David Seager, was a leader in hair transplantation.
She studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1994. Later, she went to Harvard University for her PhD in astronomy. She finished her PhD in 1999. Her research there focused on how atmospheres work on planets outside our solar system.
After her PhD, she worked at the Institute for Advanced Study and the Carnegie Institution for Science. In 2007, she joined MIT as a professor. She became a full professor in 2010. She is married to Charles Darrow and has two sons. Her first husband, Michael Wevrick, passed away in 2011.
Exploring Exoplanets
Sara Seager's main research goal is to find and study exoplanets. She especially looks for "Earth analogs." These are planets that might be similar to Earth. NASA has even called her "an astronomical Indiana Jones" because of her exciting discoveries.
She helped define the term "gas dwarf." This describes a planet that is bigger than Earth but smaller than a gas giant. It is mostly made of hydrogen and helium. She also predicted the existence of carbon planets with another scientist, Marc Kuchner. These planets would be rich in carbon.
Seager has led a team for a proposed NASA mission called "Starshade." This mission would use a special shield in space. The shield would block the bright light from a distant star. This would allow a telescope to see the much fainter light from a planet orbiting that star. This helps scientists find planets in the "habitable zone." This is the area around a star where a planet could have liquid water.
Since 2020, Sara Seager has also been studying Venus. Her team investigated the possible discovery of phosphine gas in Venus's upper atmosphere. Phosphine is a "biosignature gas." This means it could be a sign of life.
The Seager Equation
Sara Seager created her own version of the Drake equation. The Drake equation tries to estimate how many intelligent civilizations might exist in our galaxy. Seager's equation, however, focuses on finding any alien life. It looks for life that we could detect from Earth.
Her equation focuses on finding planets with "biosignature gases." These are gases produced by living things. They can build up in a planet's atmosphere. Then, powerful space telescopes can detect them from far away.
The equation looks like this:
Here's what each part means:
- N = The number of planets where we can find signs of life.
- N* = The number of stars we observe.
- FQ = The fraction (or percentage) of stars that are quiet and stable.
- FHZ = The fraction of stars that have rocky planets in the habitable zone.
- FO = The fraction of stars with planets we can observe.
- FL = The fraction of planets that actually have life.
- FS = The fraction of life forms that create gases we can detect in a planet's atmosphere.
Space Missions
Seager was the lead scientist for the Asteria spacecraft. Asteria was a small satellite called a CubeSat. It was designed to measure the brightness of stars very precisely. This helps in the search for exoplanets. MIT and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory worked together on this project. Asteria was launched into space in November 2017. It worked successfully until April 2020.
In 2020, Seager also led a team proposing the Venus Life Finder mission. This mission would send a small spacecraft to Venus. Its goal is to explore if there could be life in Venus's atmosphere. This mission is privately funded. It is planned to launch using a Rocket Lab Electron rocket.
Awards and Recognition
Sara Seager has received many important awards for her work.
- In 2007, she won the Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy. This was for her methods to understand and find atmospheres on exoplanets.
- In 2012, she received the Sackler Prize.
- In September 2013, she became a MacArthur Fellow. This is a very prestigious award.
- In 2020, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors.
- She also won the 2020 Los Angeles Times Prize for Science and Technology for her book, The Smallest Lights in the Universe.
- In 2024, Seager was awarded the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics.
See also
In Spanish: Sara Seager para niños
