Schoolboy finds a new planet in our galaxy

TOM Wagg, a 15-year-old British schoolboy on work experience at Keele University found a new planet two years ago.

Wagg was on work when he spotted a tiny ‘dip’ in the light of a star 1,000 light years away using hi-tech computer software. It was the telltale sign of a new planet, orbiting a star in our own galaxy.

“I’m hugely excited to have a found a new planet, and I’m very impressed that we can find them so far away,” says Tom. It has taken two years of further observations to prove that Tom’s discovery really is a planet and he is now 17 years old. He’s thought to be the youngest person ever to do so.

The planet is the same size as Jupiter, but orbits its star in only two days. With such a short orbital period, the transits occur frequently, making such planets much easier to find. The planet does not have a name yet, though the International Astronomical Union has started a contest to name extra-solar planets.

WELL, it is definitely true that fields in education are expending, with new and sometimes branches of studies coming up. Recently, the Lego Foundation has provided the Cambridge University with £2.5m to fund a Lego Professorship of Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDaL).

It has also provided £1.5m to support a play research centre in the education faculty, which will be led by the Lego professor.

The Lego professorship post would be “open to all those whose work falls within the general field of the title of the office,” the university said.

The successful candidate will lead the work of the Research Centre on PEDaL, which studies the role of play in young children’s learning and development.

The Lego Foundation was created to “build a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, life-long learners”.