2020 Exoplanet Archive News

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For previous years' news, see the 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2011-12 archives.

For a compilation of periodic tips that have appeared in past news items, see the Tip Archive.

To view only the most recently added planets and updated parameters (default and non-default), see this pre-filtered and pre-sorted interactive table.

October 22, 2020

Four New Planets, 14 Multiplicity Parameter Sets Added

There are four new planets this week, including gas giant NGTS-12 b, discovered by the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). The other three planets are GJ 3473 b & c and TOI-837 b.

We've also added 14 solution sets for companion stars—data for additional stars in planet-hosting systems.. View all of the new data in our Planetary Systems Table (beta) or its companion table, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (alpha), which offers a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations.

The Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables are also updated with new planetary and stellar data. Please note that these three tables are being retired in late 2020/early 2021, as described in this transition document.

News panel image: Full NGTS and TESS light curves for NGTS-12. The red vertical lines give the positions of the observed transits of NGTS-12 b. Credit: Bryant et al. (2020).

October 8, 2020

The Archive Adds Its 100th Microlensing Planet

This week marks another archive milestone: we've surpassed 100 microlensing exoplanets!

Three of the eight planets added this week were discovered and confirmed using gravitational microlensing. Though the bulk of the archive's 4,292 exoplanets were detected by other methods such as radial velocity motions and transits with Kepler and TESS, microlensing is the technique most sensitive to finding planets near the snow line (where water exists as a solid) of their host stars. The NASA Roman Space Telescope will use the microlensing technique to determine the frequency of planets in the outer reaches of planetary systems, complementing the statistical census begun by Kepler.

Learn more about microlensing—and other detection techniques—at the NASA Exoplanet Exploration website. Also, these animations from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab illustrate how the Roman Space Telescope will make microlensing observations. You can also learn more about Microlensing Resources in the Exoplanet Archive.

The new microlensing planets are OGLE-2018-BLG-1269L b, KMT-2018-BLG-0748L b, and KMT-2019-BLG-0842L b. The other new planets this week are TOI-540 b, TOI-1266 b & c, and TOI-421 b & c.

Data for the new microlensing planets are available in our interactive Microlensing Table, as well as the Planetary Systems Table (beta) and its companion table, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (alpha), which offers a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations.

September 24, 2020

KELT Archival Data Now Covers Almost 40% of the Sky

The Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT) has released a new data set consisting of 6 million new time series from 22 new southern fields. Combined with previous KELT releases for a total coverage of 15,700 square degrees, this amounts to roughly 38% of the sky.

See our updated KELT documentation for more information, or use the KELT time series search tool. You may also download the entire KELT time series data set from our Bulk Download page.

News panel image credit: Ricardo Ramirez/University of Chile

Seven Planets Added, Including Ultra-hot Neptune LTT 9779 b

We've got seven new planets this week, among them an ultra-hot, ultra-short-period Neptune called LTT 9779 b discovered by NASA's TESS mission. The other planets are HATS-71 b, HD 63433 b & c, TOI-763 b & c, and TOI-824 b. There are also seven new sets of companion star parameters.

View all of the new data in our Planetary Systems Table (beta) or its companion table, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (alpha), which offers a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations. The Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables are also updated with new planetary and stellar data.

September 16, 2020

We've added data for WD 1856+534 b, an object considered to be the first intact planet found closely orbiting a white dwarf, as published in Nature today by Vanderberg et al. (2020). This particular discovery was made possible using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Spitzer Space Telescope. Read the NASA news release for more details.

Check out the WD 1856+534 Overview page for a compilation of data on the new planet, its host star, and nearby systems G229-20 A and B that are also named in the discovery paper.

September 3, 2020

75 Planets Added, Including 50 Found in Kepler Data by Artificial Intelligence

This week's update contains 75 confirmed planets, bringing the archive's total planet count to 4,276. The new planets are:

50 planets found in Kepler data by an artificial intelligence algorithm and published in Armstrong, Gamper & Damoulas (2020),
12 K2 planets discovered by the transit method by Castro González et al. (2020),
10 planets discovered by the radial velocity method by Feng et al. (2020),
2 microlensing planets, and
1 direct imaging planet.

The complete list of this week's new planets and their data, as well as newly added parameter sets for known planets, can be accessed in this pre-filtered interactive table.

You can also browse all self-consistent planet and host star solutions in our Planetary Systems Table (beta) or its companion table, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (alpha), which offers a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations. New microlensing solutions have also been added to the Microlensing Table.

The Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables are also updated with new planetary and stellar data.

August 13, 2020

We have four new planets this week, bringing the archive's total planet count to 4,201. They are: HATS-37 A b, HATS-38 b, K2-315 b and HD 86226 c.

HD 86226 c, discovered by NASA's TESS as a transiting planet, is an interesting sibling planet to a previously known giant planet in the same system that was discovered with radial velocity. The new planet is smaller (a super-Earth) and takes only four days to orbit its sun; its bigger sibling has a mass similar to Saturn and has a 1600-day (2.7au) orbit.

Browse all self-consistent planet and host star solutions in our Planetary Systems Table (beta) or its companion table, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters (alpha), which offers a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations.

The Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables are also updated with new planetary and stellar data.

August 5, 2020

Exoplanet Archive 2.0 Update: New and Updated Tables, Updated TAP Service

We've taken another step toward providing a more integrated user experience with a major update to our services this week! We've released a newer, beta version of the Planetary Systems table AND an alpha version of a new companion table—the Planetary Systems Composite Parameters Table. Both tables are connected to an updated version of the TAP service. These new tables are closely integrated with each other and are intended to replace the older and more familiar Confirmed Planets, Extended Planet Data and Composite Planet Parameters Tables.

You can access both tables from Work With Data panel on our home page, or from the Data drop-down menu in the website navigation bar.

The following document explains this week's changes, as well as what to expect for the rest of the year: Developing a More Integrated NASA Exoplanet Archive.

Here's a brief summary of what's new today:

New Planetary Systems Composite Parameters Table, Alpha Release

The new Planetary Systems Composite Parameters Table (PSCP) is similar to our existing Composite Parameters Table: it's a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations. This new table is built from the Planetary Systems Table and is thus more extensive and more complete. The PSCP will eventually replace the Composite Parameters Table, which is scheduled to be retired in late 2020/early 2021.

Planetary Systems Table, Beta Release

Last December, the archive introduced the Planetary Systems Table (PS) as an alpha release. Based on extensive user feedback and testing, we've updated the service so it has expanded and updated data content, including Gaia IDs, improved stellar multiplicity reporting, and improved detection flag reporting, as well as various bug fixes.

The following graphics illustrate what is changing, as well as a comparison of the PS and PSCP tables:

Which tables to use: (Click to enlarge)

Comparing the Planetary Systems and Planetary Systems Composite Parameters tables: (Click to enlarge)

Tell Us What You Think

As always, we want to hear your feedback on what is working and what can be improved. Please send us your feedback through the Helpdesk, follow the archive on social media, or subscribe to our email list to stay informed. See our Connect page for links.

July 23, 2020

Among the 14 new planets added this week is TYC 8998-760-1 c, which is the second exoplanet found by direct imaging in a system that has a star similar to our own Sun. Read the discovery paper and the NASA Discovery Alert.

The other 13 new planets—11 of which are NASA TESS discoveries—are HD 95338 b, BD-11 4672 c, HIP 67522 b, HD 191939 b, c, & d, TOI-700 b, c, & d, TOI-1899 b, HIP 65 A b, TOI-157 b, and TOI-169 b. These discoveries bring our total exoplanet count to 4,197.

We've also added new parameter sets for HD 106906 b and bet Pic b in the Direct Imaging Table.

Find all planetary and stellar data in the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Also, the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table allows you to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

July 9, 2020

We've added 12 new planets, including two super-Earths discovered around GJ 887, and TOI-849 b, a gas giant missing its atmosphere, which allowed researchers to observe its solid core. The nine other planets are: GJ 338 B b, Kepler-160 d, WASP-148 b & c, TOI-1728 b, NGTS-11 b, OGLE-2017-BLG-0406L b, Wendelstein-1 b, and Wendelstein-2 b. In addition, PDS 70 b & c have new planet parameter sets.

The following planets have additional parameter sets in the Direct Imaging Table: HIP 78530 b, HD 95086 b, and HR 8799 b, c, d, & e.

News panel image credit: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick

June 24, 2020

First AU Microscopii Confirmed Planet Added

The nearby AU Microscopii system, long suspected to host planets because of its young age and surrounding debris disk, has had its first planet confirmed based on data from NASA's TESS and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Read the discovery paper by Plavchan et al. and the media advisory, and view our new System Overview page. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has also posted a YouTube video illustrating how the planet was detected.

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program has also commemorated this exciting news by adding an AU Mic b poster to the Galaxy of Horrors series. Given the Neptune-sized exoplanet is regularly subjected to X-ray blasts from eruptive and powerful stellar flares, AU Mic b is likely not habitable—at least by life as we know it.

Fun Fact: This discovery was led Dr. Peter Plavchan, who was a staff scientist at the NASA Exoplanet Archive in its early years. Congratulations, Peter!

New Microlensing and Directly Imaged Planet Data

There are also six additional new planets this week, all detected by microlensing: OGLE-2018-BLG-0677L b, OGLE-2015-BLG-1771L b, OGLE-2018-BLG-1700L b, KMT-2018-BLG-0029L b, KMT-2018-BLG-1292L b, and OGLE-2012-BLG-0838L b. Their solutions have been added to the Microlensing Table.

Also, the following planets have additional parameter sets in the Direct Imaging Table: PDS 70 b, GSC 06214-00210 b, HIP 78530 b, 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b, Oph 11 b, and USco CTIO 108 b.

You can find all planetary and stellar data in the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Also, the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table allows you to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

June 9, 2020

We have a new data set contributed by the ASTERIA mission, which was recently in the news for being the smallest telescope to detect an exoplanet.

The new data set, composed of light curves and FITS images, can be downloaded from our ASTERIA Summary page. You can also read JPL's news release about the cubesat's exoplanet detection. The planetary parameters for 55 Cnc e are currently being reviewed and will be added to the archive in a future update.

June 4, 2020

We have six new planets this week, including four TESS planets—one of which is the the telescope's first circumbinary planet. There is also a new Kepler planet.

The new planets are: Kepler-88 d, LTT 3780 b & c (TESS), TOI-1235 b (TESS), TOI-1338 b (first TESS circumbinary), and HD 81817 b. We've also added new parameter sets for all TRAPPIST-1 planets. View the new planet and stellar parameters in the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Or, check out the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

Also, check out the new emission spectra for WASP-121 b and direct imaging data for ROXs 12 b and ROXs 42 B b.

News panel image credit: David A. Aguilar, Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics

May 21, 2020

More Improvements Coming: New and Updated Planetary Data Tables

The NASA Exoplanet Archive team's effort to provide a more integrated and streamlined user experience is still underway. Here is a quick update on our progress:

Last December, we announced the alpha release of the Planetary Systems Table, which combines data from the Confirmed Planets and Extended Planet Data tables. This new table is also connected to a new Table Access Protocol (TAP) service.

Based on user feedback during this alpha period, we're planning to roll out an update to the Planetary Systems (PS) Table in the coming weeks. Also, we will soon add a new table, called the Planetary Systems Composite Parameters Table (PSCP). The older Confirmed Planets, Extended Planet Parameters, and Composite Parameters tables will continue to be maintained for the coming months—with the aim of decomissioning these tables near the end of the calendar year.

The PSCP Table's purpose is similar to our existing Composite Parameters Table: it's a more complete table of planet parameters combined from multiple references and calculations. The new Planetary Systems Composite Table will be built from the new Planetary Systems Table. Data from both the PS and PSCP tables will be available through our TAP service.

More details will be released in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you are welcome to contact us through social media or our Helpdesk ticketing system.

New Data This Week

We've added four confirmed planets and new emission and transmission spectra for WASP-76 b. The new planets are: HD 164922 d, WASP-150 b, WASP-176 b, and HD 332231 b.

Also, data for the following planets have been added to the Direct Imaging Table: 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b, GSC 06214-00210 b, PDS 70 b, and GQ Lup b.

Catch Us (Virtually) at Summer AAS!

The 236th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting, to be held June 1–3, is completely online this year. NASA Exoplanet Archive staff will be on hand in two virtual booths for webinars, demos, and Q&A. Come visit us! We'll be part of the IPAC Archives and NExScI booths in Exhibit Hall. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for timely updates.

May 7, 2020

This week's update includes three new planets: KOI-1783.01, KOI-1783.02 and TOI-677 b. We've also added data for three directly imaged planets, kap And b, GSC 06214-00210 b, and 1RXS J160929.1-210524 b, to our new Direct Imaging Table.

See the new data in the new planets' respective overview page, or browse the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Or, check out the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

Also, there are new transmission spectra for KELT-9 b, WASP-121 b, WASP-33 b, and HD 189733 b—all of which can be found in the Transmission Spectroscopy Table.

Lastly, we've removed Fomalhaut b from the archive based on Gaspar & Rieke (2020), who showed the observed source was more consistent with an expanding dust cloud around Fomalhaut rather than an orbiting planet.

April 22, 2020

We've added the published data for Kepler-1649 c, an exoplanet similar to Earth in size and estimated temperature that was resurrected from the bin of false positives in the Kepler sample. The Kepler data keep on giving, long after the mission's end!

View the system's Overview page or read the media release.

April 16, 2020

Seven New Planets

Data from the decommissioned Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits (CoRoT) telescope revealed two new systems: CoRoT-30 b and CoRoT-31 b. We've also added a five-planet system, HD 158259, that was detected and confirmed with SOPHIE and TESS data.

View the NEW overview pages for HD 158259 b, c, d, e, & f, CoRoT-30 b. and CoRoT-31 b, or use the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. The alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table allows you to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

Fun Fact: The NASA Exoplanet Archive partnered with the CoRoT mission to serve the stellar and light curve data from the astero-seismology and exoplanet channels. More information about our CoRoT holdings, as well as links to the data, are provided on our CoRoT summary page.

Direct Imaging Data

We've also added more parameter sets for 51 Eri b, TYC 8998-760-1 b, and 2MASS J01225093-2439505 b to our newest table, the Direct Imaging Table.

April 2, 2020

This week, we added three confirmed planets, including two TESS planets and one discovered by direct imaging. These bring our total confirmed planet count to 4,144. The new planets are TYC 8998-760-1 b and TOI-1130 b and c.

We've also added new WASP-79 b transmission spectra, viewable in the Transmission Spectroscopy Table, and 16 solutions for three planets to the Microlensing Table.

March 19, 2020

This week's update includes data for six new planets, including the first-ever planet in the Galactic thick disk, discovered by TESS, and transmission spectroscopy for three known planets. The new planets are: OGLE-2013-BLG-0911L b, KMT-2016-BLG-1836L b, OGLE-2016-BLG-1227L b, NGTS-10 b, MASCARA-4 b, and LHS 1815 b (TESS discovery).

To view the new planet and stellar parameters, use the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Or, check out the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

The new transmission spectroscopy data are for K2-18 b, KELT-9 b, and HAT-P-41 b, all of which are are browsable in the Transmission Spectroscopy interactive table.

March 16, 2020

It's official: all Kepler/K2 user support has been transitioned to the NASA Exoplanet Archive (at NExScI) and the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). See the Kepler/K2 User Support page for details.

Also, as a reminder, the Kepler Data Products Overview page provides an exhaustive list of Kepler data products and documentation.

March 5, 2020

There are nine new planets in the archive this week, including the new circumbinary system Kepler-1661—a reminder that archival Kepler data continues to yield discoveries. There is also a new TESS planet, TOI-132 b.

The new planets are: Kepler-1661 b, TOI-132 b, GJ 1061 b, c, & d, HATS-47 b, HATS-48 A b, HATS-49 b, and HATS-72 b.

To view the new planet and stellar data, use the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Or, check out the alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

February 13, 2020

We have a few exciting updates to announce this week!

10 More Planets!

We've added 10 confirmed planets: five discovered by the transit method, and five discovered using the radial velocity method. This brings our total confirmed planet count to 4,126.

The new planets are: GJ 180 d, GJ 229 A c, GJ 433 d, GJ 3082 b, GJ 1252 b, EPIC 249893012 b, c, & d, L 168-9 b, and TOI-125 d.

To view the new planet and stellar data, use the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, and Extended Planet Data interactive tables. Or, check out the new alpha release of our Planetary Systems Table to browse ALL the planet and host star solutions.

New Table of Directly Imaged Planets!

We're pleased to announce a NEW Direct Imaging Table! This interactive table focuses on observational and model parameters specific to directly imaged confirmed planets. Additional parameters sets will be added over the next few months.

The columns available in this table are listed and defined in the documentation. For more information about the detection technique and resources available in the Exoplanet Archive, see the Directly Imaged Planet Resources page.

To compare and review imaged planets against other confirmed planets, please use the Confirmed Planets, Composite Planet Data, or Planetary Systems interactive tables.

TOIs Added to the Transit and Ephemeris Service!

Our Transit and Ephemeris Service has been updated to include the TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) list, which are objects stored in the TESS Project Candidates Table that includes previously known planets, TESS confirmed planets, planet candidates, and false positives. Selecting the TESS Objects of Interest checkbox in the service's web form will include all of these in the ephemeris calculations, drawing input parameters directly from the TESS Project Candidate Table.

Fun Fact: The ExoFOP-TESS site reached 50,000 file uploads this week!

January 30, 2020

Eight new planets!

This week we have eight new planets, including a TESS planet, a K2 planet, and a four-planet system found by the Dispersed Matter Planet Project! The new planets are: DMPP-1 b, c, d & e, DMPP-2b, DMPP-3 A b, HD 80653 b, and TOI-813 b. (If you prefer the old overview interface, you can access them through the Explore the Archive search box on the home page.) This week's additions bring the total confirmed planet count to 4,116.

January 17, 2020

New Planets for The New Year

We're starting 2020 with FOUR new planets in our NEW overviews alpha release! Check out G 9-40 b, XO-7 b, USco1621 b, and USco1556 b. (If you prefer the old overview interface, you can access them through the Explore the Archive search box on the home page.) This week's additions bring the total confirmed planet count to 4,108.

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