Sara Seager | |
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Born | 1971 (age 40–41) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Residence | Concord, Massachusetts |
Nationality | Canadian-American |
Fields | Astronomy, Planetary science |
Institutions | Carnegie Institution of Washington |
Alma mater | Harvard University Ph.D. University of Toronto B.Sc |
Known for |
Search for extrasolar planets, TV appearance on Ancient Aliens |
Notable awards | Helen B. Warner Prize (2007) Harvard Bok Prize in Astronomy (2004) NSERC Science and Technology Fellowship (1990 - 1994) |
Spouse | Michael I. Wevrick |
Sara Seager (born 1971) is a Canadian-American astronomer who is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and known for her work on extrasolar planets. She was born in Toronto, Canada. In 1994, she earned the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Toronto. In 1999, Seager was granted a Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University. Her doctoral thesis explored atmospheres on extrasolar planets.[1]
Sara Seager used the term "Gas Dwarf" for a high mass super earth type planet composed mainly of Hydrogen and Helium in an animation of one model of the exoplanet Gliese 581 c. The term "gas dwarf" has also been used to refer to planets smaller than gas giants, with thick hydrogen and helium atmospheres.[2][3] NASA's PlanetQuest referred to her as "an astronomical Indiana Jones".[4]
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Sara Seager has appeared extensively on the pseudo-scientific Discovery Channel program, Ancient Aliens. Seager's website claims these cameo appearances "aim to set the record straight"[8]. Whilst her pieces to camera do not explicitly endorse the hypothesis of the program (that civilization has been shaped by visitations by extraterrestrials in ancient times), her contributions provide support for many fringe science concepts by implying connections between the fringe idea and legitimate scientific concepts. For example, her cameo explaining maglev trains is juxtaposed with suggestions that megalithic monuments were constructed in prehistory using magnetic anti-gravity.