International Year of Astronomy: Public Lecture Series

Origins and Aliens: The Search for Other Earths

Sara Seager

MIT

For thousands of years people have wondered, “Are we Alone?” With over 350 planets discovered to orbit nearby stars, the existence of “exoplanets” is firmly established. Astronomers are now able to routinely measure planetary sizes, masses, and atmospheres for a subset of hot, big exoplanets. The race to find “habitable” exoplanets is on with the realization that big Earths orbiting small stars can be both discovered and characterized with existing technology. Professor Seager will present highlights of recent exoplanet discoveries and discuss when we might find another Earth and what kinds of signs of life we are looking for.