Number 458 (Story #1), November 18, 1999 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein THE SHADOW OF A PLANET slipping across the face of a distant star has been detected, for the first time, by veteran extrasolar-planet stalkers Geoffrey Marcy of UC Berkeley and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution, working with Greg Henry of Tennessee State University. Prior indirect "sightings" of extrasolar planets consisted of small feints in the apparent position of the stars caused by the suspected gravity pull of an orbiting planet. Astronomers have felt that from among the growing sample of such planets (up to 25 as of now) a few (whose orbits would be viewed at Earth edge-on) might be detected directly as they pass in front of the star. One such candidate was HD 209458. Prediction of a planetary transit for the night of November 7 proved accurate and a 1.7% dimming in the star's light was seen. (Announcement made in an International Astronomical Union circular.)