Chapter 1
The first discoveries
Chapter 2
Shadows and wobbles
Chapter 3
Extreme and bizarre worlds
Chapter 4
The search for life
YOUR GOAL
Master of Finding new worlds
Ch 1 · The first discoveries
artiteacher The first discoveries
A star's subtle sway, way out far (Oh-oh, revealing a world!) Mayor and Queloz, a sight to see (Yeah, 51 Pegasi B!) A Hot Jupiter, close and bold (Oh-oh, stories untold!)
artiteacher Many scientists initially refused to believe that giant planets could orbit so close to their parent stars.
artiteacher The discovery of 51 Pegasi b in 1995 changed our understanding of planetary systems forever.
Fun Fact
Pulsar planets: The first discovered exoplanets orbit a dead star that blasts them with lethal X-rays every millisecond.
Glossary
exoplanet (noun)
A planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. In 1995, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star.
A planet that orbits a star outside the solar system. In 1995, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star.
Quiz
In 1992, astronomers discovered the first confirmed exoplanets orbiting what kind of dead star?
Quiz
Which exoplanet discovered in 1995 was the first found orbiting a sun-like star?
Quiz
Which two Swiss astronomers won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the first exoplanet around a sun-like star?
Quiz
What name is given to massive gas giant planets that orbit extremely close to their parent stars?
Quiz
How long does it take the exoplanet 51 Pegasi b to complete one full orbit around its star?
Quiz
The pulsar PSR B1257+12, host to the first discovered exoplanets, is located in which constellation?
Quiz
Before the 1990s, what was the general scientific consensus regarding planets around other stars?