Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz

Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of the first exoplanet in 1995. On October 6, 1995, Michel Mayor, Professor at the Observatory of the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and the doctoral candidate Didier Queloz revolutionized the world of astrophysics when they announced the discovery of the first planet located outside our solar system. Named 51 Pegasi b, this very first exoplanet had a huge impact on the astrophysicist community. Since then, research has continued to develop, allowing for the subsequent discovery of about 4000 exoplanets so far. "It is a fantastic recognition of the task accomplished by Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz; it shows the rigour of their scientific approach, but also their creativity and ability to think - and work - outside the box, a true pathway to great discoveries. This Nobel prize also comes as an honour for our University, for Geneva and for the whole of Switzerland, as a recognition of the quality of its research being rewarded at the highest level," says Yves Flückiger, Rector of the UNIGE. A brief look back 24 years ago, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz attended a scientific conference in Florence to announce the discovery of the first planet outside the solar system: 51 Pegasi B. "No one knew whether exoplanets existed or not," recalls Michel Mayor.