Sara Seager

Sara Seager searches for exoplanets and signs that distant worlds might support life. A Canadian-American astrophysicist and MIT professor, she has helped shape the scientific study of planets beyond the solar system. The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir brings that work into conversation with her personal life. Seager writes about building a career around distant planets, raising two sons, coping with the loss of her first husband, and finding support among the Widows of Concord. Published by Crown in 2020, the memoir moves between the technical challenge of detecting faint planetary signals and the human need for connection, making scientific discovery part of a candid account of resilience.