The official number of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — tracked by NASA has reached 6,000. This section introduces the scientific counterpart to UFO sightings and the systematic discovery of exoplanets through rigorous methodology.

Scientific Progress

Exoplanet discoveries exploded after 1995. Not from sightings or speculation, but from telescopes, mathematics, and scientific discoveries.

With missions like Kepler and JWST, we've confirmed thousands of distant worlds. Each data point represents not speculation, but evidence gathered through observation and verification as well as the great advancements in technology and detection over time.

Fewer than 100 exoplanets have been directly imaged, because most planets are so faint they get lost in the light from their parent star.

The other four methods of planet detection are indirect. With the transit method, for instance, astronomers look for a star to dim for a short period as an orbiting planet passes in front of it.

Explore the diversity of discovered exoplanets by size, temperature, and discovery method.

🔬 Exoplanet Discovery Methods Explained

The thousands of known exoplanets were found using a handful of ingenious techniques, each relying on precise measurements of starlight and motion.

Transit

When a planet passes in front of its star, it causes a measurable, periodic dip in the star's light.

This method is highly effective for finding large planets close to their stars.

Radial Velocity

A planet's gravity causes its star to 'wobble.' This wobble changes the star's light spectrum (Doppler shift), which scientists use to infer the planet's mass.

Direct Imaging

This is the rare technique of directly taking a picture of an exoplanet, usually by blocking the star's overwhelming light using coronagraphs.

Microlensing

Relies on Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The gravity of a planet/star passing in front of a background star magnifies the background star's light for a short time.