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Where to find NASA exoplanet records
The NASA Exoplanet Archive is the practical starting point for planet records, measurements of planets and host stars, and related analysis tools. Developed through collaboration involving NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech’s IPAC, and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, it includes astronomer-vetted data as well as data used to identify additional planets. NASA’s archive overview, updated August 7, 2026, describes holdings from Kepler and TESS, ground-based surveys including KELT and SuperWASP, and JWST exoplanet atmosphere spectra: NASA Exoplanet Archive overview.
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Search for a planet, host star, or mission-related record. The archive also provides plotting and fitting resources, observation-timing calculators, and other ways to access its data. If you need the underlying observations rather than a catalog summary, follow the archive’s data-access options and mission links.
How to check whether a discovery is reliable
- Open the record. Find the planet or host star in the NASA Exoplanet Archive.
- Read the disposition or status and discovery method. Do not treat every promising signal as an established planet.
- Open the cited publication. Check which observations and analyses support the claim, and whether the paper describes the object as a candidate, validated planet, or confirmed planet.
- Look for follow-up and false-positive checks. Identify how the researchers tested alternative explanations and what evidence remains uncertain.
- Go to the underlying data if needed. Use the archive’s data-access tools and mission links when the catalog entry is not enough to answer your question.
- Date changing figures. Record when you accessed the catalog if you quote its total or a value likely to be revised.
NASA says the archive records discoveries described in peer-reviewed papers and confirmed using multiple detection methods or analytical techniques. A peer-reviewed paper is an important part of the evidence trail, but read what it actually establishes rather than relying on a headline or later interpretation: NASA: How do you find—and confirm—a planet?
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What candidate, validated, and confirmed mean
Candidate: a signal that still needs to be checked
A candidate is a likely planet signal, not proof that a planet caused it. For example, a dip in a star’s brightness can also result from a companion star, a brown dwarf, dust, asteroids, or instrumental and data artifacts. Repeated observations, observations with another detection technique, or independent telescope observations can help distinguish a planet from these alternatives. NASA’s explainer discusses the evidence and terminology: NASA’s discovery and confirmation guide.
Confirmed: evidence from different techniques
In NASA’s explanation, the standard case for confirmation is that the same candidate is detected using two different techniques. The key is the evidence path, not just the confidence implied by an informal description. Check the source paper and archive record for the methods used.
Validated: strong scrutiny using the same technique
NASA uses “validated” when the signal is found with the same technique by different telescopes and has received enough scrutiny for scientists to be more than 99 percent sure it is a planet. That threshold is part of NASA’s explanation, not a universal numerical test to apply without context. Validation and confirmation refer to different evidence paths, so preserve the label used in the archive record and paper.
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What discovery methods reveal
NASA lists several ways astronomers find exoplanets. A method indicates how evidence was obtained; it does not, by itself, tell you how thoroughly a particular record has been checked.
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| Method | What astronomers observe | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Transit | Recurring dips in a star’s brightness as a planet crosses in front of it. | Transit-based planet size depends on both the amount of starlight blocked and the size of the host star. The derived size therefore also relies on information about the star. |
| Radial velocity | A star’s motion under the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. | This method can help determine a planet’s mass. |
| Direct imaging | A planet observed by blocking or separating its star’s light. | The evidence comes from observing the planet rather than only inferring its effect on the star. |
| Microlensing | The gravitational effect of a foreground star passing in front of a more distant star. | The method uses the effect of gravity on the observed background star. |
For a meaningful comparison between two records, consider the method, the number and type of follow-up observations, the candidate/validated/confirmed status, and which physical properties were measured versus inferred. NASA’s overview of methods and evidence is at How do we find exoplanets?
Where to access NASA exoplanet data
The archive combines catalog information with tools and data-access routes. Start with the record if you need a concise summary; follow its data links when you need observations for independent analysis. NASA also identifies public Kepler and TESS data in its archives and the freely downloadable ExoMiner++ software, which classifies possible transit signals. A software-identified signal remains a candidate until follow-up observations establish whether it is a planet. See NASA’s account of ExoMiner++ and open exoplanet data.
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How many confirmed exoplanets are there?
The total changes as discoveries are added and records are reviewed. NASA reported that the official confirmed count reached 6,000 in September 2025, with thousands more candidates awaiting confirmation: NASA: 30 Years of Exoplanets. Treat 6,000 as a dated milestone, not a current live total; check the archive catalog when you need the latest count.
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