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Auriane Egal, astrophysicist

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Auriane Egal
Photo: Espace pour la vie/Sylvain Légaré
Auriane Egal, astrophysicist at the Planétarium

Scientific advisor at the Planétarium, Auriane Egal works on the observation and modeling of meteor showers. As a member of the DOMe/FRIPON network, she has contributed to several campaigns for meteorites observation and recovery. Her research focuses on predicting the risks of impacts between meteoroids and spacecraft.

  • Astrophysicst
  • Scientific advisor
  • Curator of the Planétarium’s meteorite collection
  • Adjunct professor at the University of Western Ontario, department of physics and astronomy
  • Affiliations :
    • Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides, Observatoire de Paris
    • FRIPON/Vigie-Ciel
    • Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario

Areas of research and expertise

  • Observation and modeling of meteor showers
  • Prediction of impact risks between meteoroid swarms and spacecraft
  • Dynamics of comets and asteroids
  • Research and analysis of meteorites
  • Planetary defense

Education

Postdoctoral training – Modelling of meteoroid swarms, 2022
University of Western Ontario

Doctorate – Astronomy and astrophysics, 2017
IMCCE, Observatoire de Paris

Master’s – Astrophysics and space engineering, 2014
Observatoire de Paris

Predicting meteor showers near Earth

An adventurer at heart, Auriane Egal has taken part in several missions in exceptional contexts, including a meteorite recovery expedition in Chile's Atacama Desert and the installation of observation stations in Sri Lanka.

In collaboration with her colleagues at the University of Western Ontario, Auriane Egal’s focuses on predicting meteor showers on Earth and assessing the risks of meteoroid swarm impacts on spacecraft (such as the James Webb Space Telescope) or the International Space Station.

Her work is used by space agencies, including NASA, contributing to the international planetary defense effort by observing and analyzing the impact of small asteroids on Earth.

Since 2024, Auriane Egal has served as the curator of the Planétarium’s meteorite collection.