Discovery of Exoplanets

The 1995 detection of 51 Pegasi b by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz inaugurated the field of exoplanet science. This groundbreaking discovery revealed a 'hot Jupiter' exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star, completing an orbit every 4.2 days. Since this initial find, over 5,600 exoplanets have been confirmed, with more than 150 identified within habitable zones. The 51 Pegasi b detection was made possible by achieving a radial velocity precision of 10 meters per second, a measurement threshold that was 30% tighter than any prior stellar wobble analysis. This discovery proved that planets are common, even around ordinary stars, vastly expanding the potential for life beyond Earth.