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.

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.

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.

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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