51 Pegasi b
51 Pegasi b was the first exoplanet discovered orbiting a main-sequence star. It sits approximately 50 light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus, circling the Sun-like star 51 Pegasi.
Briefing
51 Pegasi b, officially named Dimidium, is an extrasolar planet in the constellation of Pegasus, approximately 50 light-years (15 parsecs) from Earth. It orbits the Sun-like, main-sequence star 51 Pegasi and is described as the prototype for a class of planets called hot Jupiters.
How we know
The supplied material identifies Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz as the discoverers (1995) and describes the discovery as the first of an exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star, but it does not specify the observational instrument or the measurement technique used. What can be said from these sources is limited to the historical fact of discovery and its status as a breakthrough in astronomical research; the method and apparatus are not given here.
- Unseen
- This object is an exoplanet and no information is provided here about direct visual observability; with the facts given, it cannot be treated as a naked-eye or small-telescope target.