Detection of Exoplanet 51 Pegasi b
October 6, 1995 · 20th Century
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz of the University of Geneva announced the detection of a planet orbiting the Sun-like star 51 Pegasi, located 50 light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. Using the ELODIE spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence in southeastern France, they measured radial velocity shifts of approximately 70 meters per second caused by the planet's gravitational pull. The planet had roughly half the mass of Jupiter but orbited its star every 4.2 days, establishing the category of hot Jupiters. Mayor and Queloz received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Key Figures
Michel MayorDidier Queloz
Locations
Observatoire de Haute-Provence
Topics
spectroscopyexoplanet detectionradial velocity methodhot Jupitersplanetary scienceNobel Prize in Physics
Connected Events — 4 Connections
Fiber optic spectroscopy advances contributed to the precision radial velocity measurements that detected exoplanets Medusa Fiber Optic Spectrograph Demonstrated
Telescope technology enabled the spectrographic observations that detected the exoplanet Invention of the Telescope
Kepler's laws provided the orbital mechanics framework for interpreting the radial velocity data Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion
The detection of 51 Pegasi b in 1995 opened the field of exoplanet science that ultimately led to the Kepler mission's discovery of the Kepler-444 system Formation of the Kepler-444 Planetary System
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