Amateur stargazers discover new planet

LONDON: In what’s claimed to be the third time in recorded history , two amateur British astronomers say they have discovered a new planet which they want to be named after them .
Chris Holmes and Lee Threapleton spotted the new world while working on a project to find planets beyond our solar system , publicized by Brian Cox in his Stargazing Live series , the Daily Mail reported .If their discovery is confirmed by planetary scientists , then the planet , thought to be gaseous and around the size of Neptune , will be named ‘Threapleton Holmes B’ , the newspaper said .
The pair made the discovery after spotting changes in light patterns in an image from Nasa’s Kepler space telescope . The unusual patterns suggested a planet appears to be orbiting a sun called SPH 10066540, which lies between 600 and 3,000 light years away . The image of the new planet has been posted online at Planethunters .org .
Holmes of Peterborough said ,“I’ve never even had a telescope . I’ve had a passing interest in where things are in the sky , but never had more knowledge about it. Being the one to find something is a very exciting position .”