Didier Queloz was a Ph.D. student at the University of Geneva when he and Michel Mayor discovered the first exoplanet around a main sequencestar. Queloz performed an analysis on 51 Pegasi using radial velocity measurements (doppler effect), and was astonished to find a planet with an orbital period of 4.2 days. He had been performing the analysis as an exercise to hone his skills. The planet, 51 Pegasi B, challenged the then accepted views of planetary formation, being a hot jupiter or roaster.
DidierQueloz and his colleagues at the Observatoire de Genève, Switzerland, have found many of these new planets, and their discoveries include the most tantalising one yet: a planet that closely resembles Jupiter in our own Solar System.
Queloz is a member of ESA's Scientific Advisory Group for its Darwin planet-search mission.
DidierQueloz: ESA's Darwin is a fantastic project for me because, behind all of this planet quest, is this question of life on other worlds.
DidierQueloz (born February 23 1966) is a Geneva-based astronomer with a prolific record in finding extrasolar planets.
DidierQueloz was a Ph.D. student at the University of Geneva when he and Michel Mayor discovered the first exoplanet around a main sequencestar.
Queloz performed an analysis on 51 Pegasi using radial velocity measurements (doppler effect), and was astonished to find a planet with an orbital period of 4.2 days.
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