Sara Seager, 2024 Kavli Prize Laureate in Astrophysics

The 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics honors Sara Seager and David Charbonneau for discoveries of exoplanets and the characterization of their atmospheres.
Sara Seager pioneered the theoretical study of planetary atmospheres and predicted the presence of atomic and molecular species detectable by transit spectroscopy, most notably the alkali gases. She predicted how transits could be used to measure atomic and molecular characteristics in exoplanetary atmospheres, which is crucial for identifying biomarkers - signs of life. Seager made outstanding contributions to the understanding of planets with masses below that of Neptune. She also carried out extensive research on starshades - enormous petal-like structures designed to shield space observatories from the glare of a faraway Sun-like star - and was among the first to recognize their importance in detecting and characterizing the faint light from any Earth-like planet orbiting the star.

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