You Too Can Discover Planets Without The Hassle of Telescopes!

Peter Jalowiczor is a gas worker from South Yorkshire, England.  He is your average British guy, wakes up, has some tea, perhaps discover a few planets, brush his teeth, and go to bed.  What? You don't discover planets in your spare time too?  Well for those of you that want to discover things, particularly gaseous giants, then read what Pete has to say: 

"I look for faint changes in stars' behaviors that can only be caused by a planet or planets orbiting about them. Stars are incredibly far away and no telescope yet built can directly see their discs, let alone any planets going around them.

Astronomers therefore have to devise other indirect techniques of detection. If a planet orbits a star it causes a tiny wobble in the star's motion and this wobble reveals itself in the star's light. Special software works out the properties about the planet's orbit and precise measurements of the star taken over many years enable scientists to build up profiles of systems as planets are gradually revealed."

Great conversation starter!  

"What have you accomplished in your life?"

"Just discovered four planets nbd.  How about you?"

"I have a sweet stamp collection....."

The planets he discovered were carefully named HD31253b, HD218566b, HD177830c and HD99492c, which is the closest of the four, 58 light years away.