PlanetQuest
Artist's concept of 51 Pegasi
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First Exoplanets Found Orbiting a Sun-like Star

In 1995, astronomers discover the first exoplanet orbiting a main-sequence star like our sun. The discovery both excites and confuses astronomers - 51 Pegasi orbits so close to its host star (pictured here) that it almost grazes its surface. Scientists had not expected to find planets in such extreme positions.