Ignas Snellen

Ignas Snellen is a pioneer in the study of extrasolar planets or exoplanets, i.e. planets that orbit a star other than the sun. The study of exoplanets is a new and rapidly growing field. Snellen’s extraordinary dedication and clever techniques have allowed him to detect extremely faint signals from exoplanets from the Earth, something that most astronomers did not believe possible. Snellen is responsible for numerous breakthroughs. For example, he was the first to measure the length of a day on an exoplanet. One exciting long-term goal in his field is to discover signs of life on an exoplanet. Perhaps Snellen will add this to his list of firsts someday.