Origins & Early Life

Didier Patrick Queloz (French pronunciation: [didje kəlo, kelo]; born 23 February 1966) is a Swiss astronomer. He is the Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, where he is also a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, as well as a professor of physics at ETH Zurich. Together with Michel Mayor in 1995, he discovered 51 Pegasi b, the first extrasolar planet orbiting a Sun-like star, 51 Pegasi. For this discovery, he shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics with Mayor and Jim Peebles.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 2022, he is the founding director of the Center for the Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH Zurich. Queloz was born in Switzerland, on 23 February 1966. Queloz studied at the University of Geneva where he subsequently obtained a MSc degree in physics in 1990, a DEA in Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1992, and a PhD degree in 1995 with Swiss astrophysicist Michel Mayor as his doctoral advisor. The Daily Telegraph reports him as saying that, "Science inherited a lot from religions". Didier Queloz is at the origin of the "exoplanet revolution" in astrophysics...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• A. R. Rahman — Contemporary (Born in 1966) (1966): Visionary Indian composer celebrated for blending global sounds with cinematic emotion.
• Adam Sandler — Contemporary (Born in 1966) (1966): Acclaimed comedian and actor known for his prolific career in Hollywood comedy.
• Alain Mabanckou — Contemporary (Born in 1966) (1966): Congolese novelist and academic exploring contemporary Africa and the diaspora experience.
• César Ritz — Shared historical date (02-23 · Born) (1850): Swiss hotelier and pioneer, known as the 'King of Hoteliers' for founding luxury establishments.
• Carl Friedrich Gauss — Shared historical date (02-23 · Died) (1855): German polymath whose work spanned number theory, algebra, and statistics.
• Alberto Giacometti — Historical peer (Died in 1966) (1966): Swiss master of existential sculpture, known for elongated, fragile human figures.
• Anna Akhmatova — Historical peer (Died in 1966) (1966): A seminal Russian poet whose work chronicled the trauma of the Soviet era.
• Adolfo Pedernera — Historical peer (Died in 1995) (1995): Argentine football legend, nicknamed 'El Maestro,' pivotal in the 1940s.
• Alexander Knox — Historical peer (Died in 1995) (1995): Esteemed Canadian actor and writer, known for dramatic roles and literary contributions.
• Agnès Varda — Historical peer (Died in 2019) (2019): Pioneering French filmmaker, artist, and documentarian celebrated for her unique vision.
• 1966 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1966
• February 23 (02-23) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 23