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How a Guy Found 4 New Planets Without a Telescope

Posted by Soulskill on from the he's-just-this-guy,-you-know? dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Peter Jalowiczor is a gas worker from South Yorkshire, England. He's also the discoverer of four giant exoplanets, according to the University of California's Lick-Carnegie Planet Search Team. But he's not an astronomer and he doesn't even have a telescope. '...in 2005, astronomers at the university released millions of space measurements collected over several decades and asked enthusiasts to make of them what they would. ... From March 2007 Peter, 45, spent entire nights reading the data, working the figures, creating graphs. ... He then sent discrepancies he discovered back to the scientists in California where they were further analyzed to see if the quirks were caused by the existence of an exoplanet.'"

8 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Gas giant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    This guy is clearly a gas giant rather than everyday normal gas worker.

  2. Re:Good for him. by BJ_Covert_Action · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unusual slashdot posting, in that there seems little to ridicule in anything or anyone about the event.

    You're just not trying hard enough! I say he's a pinko, commie, socialist, hippy for expecting other scientists to gather the data for him first! As our overlord Sarah Palin would say, he wasn't man enough to gather it himself. Now fuck off you peace-loving, sweet talking, idealist progressive. This is just one more reason why America is better than socialist England!

    For the record, I do not work for Fox News, I'm just an overachiever when it comes to misplaced criticism sometimes. ;)

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  3. Clippy by OverlordQ · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hi, it looks like you've been spending a lot of time on a wiki. Might I suggest some Jimbo.

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    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
  4. Re:So.... by owlstead · · Score: 4, Funny

    The summary is right, the planets probably don't have any telescopes on them. I wonder how he found out even with a telescope though.

  5. Re:Not "without a telescope". by Exclamation+mark! · · Score: 3, Funny

    I bet they all have the "keen eye for detail" on their CV

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    I'm a wanker.... and loving it!
  6. Look down, not up by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 4, Funny

    Actually if you want to see a planet you should really be looking down, not up.

  7. Re:So.... by amRadioHed · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just discovered 4 new plants just by reading slashdot. I'm pretty pleased with myself.

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    We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
  8. Re:OMG! He used math! by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 3, Funny

    "and these discoveries require people pouring over data for extended periods of time."

    Well, only if the data is from the Big Dipper.

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    http://www.rootstrikers.org/