Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz announce the discovery of 51 Pegasi b, the first confirmed Extrasolar planet.

In 1995, a historical milestone in the field of astronomy took place that threw open the doors to new cosmic possibilities. Swiss astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, announced the discovery of 51 Pegasi b, the first confirmed extrasolar planet. This ground-breaking discovery shifted the paradigm of our understanding about the universe and changed the way we perceive our position within the cosmos.

An extrasolar planet, or an exoplanet, is a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. They offer the potential to expand our knowledge about the lifecycle of planets and their capacity to host life. With their discovery of 51 Pegasi b, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz brought the existence of these celestial bodies from the realm of theoretical speculation to the realm of fact.

51 Pegasi b was observed circling a sun-like star called 51 Pegasi, approximately 50 light years away in the constellation Pegasus. The fascination with this exoplanet is not just because it was the first confirmed, but also due to it contradicting all pre-existing planetary formation theories. The exoplanet was a gas giant, similar to Jupiter, but it orbited its star at a much closer distance, in a region considered too hot for gas giants to form according to pre-1995 theories.

The discovery was made with the help of a technique called Doppler spectroscopy. This technique takes advantage of the Doppler effect and analyzes the spectrum of light emitted by a star. As a planet gravitationally interacts with its star, it causes the star to move in a small circular path. This movement alters the frequency of the light from the star that reaches Earth. By studying these changes, the existence of an exoplanet could be inferred. Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz pioneered the use of this technique for the detection of exoplanets, leading as well to their sensational discovery.

Since the announcement of 51 Pegasi b, the search for exoplanets has gained considerable momentum and yielded several exceptional discoveries. As of today, over 4,000 exoplanets have been confirmed, each varying in size, composition, and orbital properties. The incredible variety among these discoveries places a stringent condition on planetary formation theories, forcing astronomers to reconsider and fine-tune their models.

Moreover, the detection of exoplanets has bolstered the belief in the potential for life beyond our own solar system. Scientists are particularly interested in a class of exoplanets called ‘habitable zone’ planets. These planets exist at a distance from their stars where conditions could allow liquid water to exist on their surfaces – a condition considered crucial for the possibility of life. While 51 Pegasi b, with its close orbit, is too hot to be in the habitable zone, its discovery initiated the hunt for planets that could theoretically hold extraterrestrial life.

The discovery of 51 Pegasi b by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz was an event of monumental significance. It transformed the field of astronomy, paving the way for breakthroughs in understanding the diverse nature of planets and the potential for life beyond the solar system. Today, their legacy continues to thrive, inspiring a new generation of astronomers and it won’t be an overstatement to say that, in many ways, the discovery of 51 Pegasi b marked the dawn of a new era in the study of the cosmos.

It’s been more than two decades since this life-altering discovery, but its impact echoes through the halls of astronomical research and space exploration. The continued search for extrasolar planets is a testament to our species’ relentless thirst for knowledge and the burning desire to understand our place in the universe. Hence, the historical day of 10th October 1995, when Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz unveiled their landmark discovery, remains a testament to the spirit of exploration and the limitless potential of human curiosity.