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A teenager on work experience discovered a new planet 1,000 light years away.

Tom Wagg was 15 when he spotted a tiny dip in the light of a distant star during his week-long placement at Keele University. After two years of further research, astronomers have confirmed that he witnessed a mystery planet passing in front of the star.

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The planet is located so far away – in the constellation of Hydra at the southern end of the Milky Way – it cannot be seen directly through a telescope, but is thought to be about the same size as Jupiter, orbiting its star every two days.

Tom, now 17, said: “It’s really exciting. I was amazed. It’s definitely something you can tell people about.

It’s a gas planet and is known as a ‘hot Jupiter’

“It’s a gas planet and is known as a ‘hot Jupiter’. As it’s so close to a star, there could be other planets around it.”

The discovery makes the student from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, one of the youngest people to find a new planet.