An artist’s impression of 51 Pegasi b, the first exoplanet discovered by Mayor and Queloz — recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics with James Peebles

Discovery of First Exoplanet scoops 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics

In 1995 Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz changed the face of astronomy and astrophysics forever when they announced the discovery of the first extrasolar planet — or exoplanet. The discovery is recognised this year as the pair share the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics with James Peebles.

Michel Mayor (left), Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Science of the UNIGE. Didier Queloz, Professor in the Department of Astronomy of the Faculty of Science of the UNIGE and Professor at the University of Cambridge. (UNIGE)

It isn’t always easy to pinpoint the exact day the edifice of science was changed forever, and in the process, our knowledge of the Universe around us instantly grew. But, October 6th, 1995, is such a day.

That was the day that Michel Mayor, Professor at the Observatory of the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and his doctoral student Didier Queloz announced the discovery of the first planet found orbiting a star similar to our Sun outside of our solar system.

Since the day 51 Pegasi b first entered the lexicon of scientists across the world, the search for extrasolar planets — or exoplanets — has become a burgeoning…