Overview

Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. Lists of exoplanets are structured inventories used by researchers, mission teams and the public to record confirmed and candidate worlds, their basic parameters, and discovery history. These lists expand rapidly as surveys and instruments find new objects and as analyses revise previously reported parameters.

How lists are organized

Typical entries record the planet name (commonly the host star followed by a lowercase letter), the host star properties, discovery year and method, orbital period, semi-major axis or distance, and estimates of mass or radius. Catalogues often include uncertainties, detection status (candidate versus confirmed), references to discovery papers, and flags for follow-up observations. Users sort or filter lists by these fields to create subsets by size, temperature, or dynamical architecture.

Detection methods

  • Transit: A planet crossing its star produces a periodic dip in brightness; this method yields planet size (radius) and is the main route for large surveys.
  • Radial velocity: Measures the star's motion along the line of sight through spectral shifts, providing a minimum mass and orbital information.
  • Direct imaging: Photographs planets by suppressing starlight, effective for distant, young, massive planets and for studying atmospheres.
  • Microlensing, timing, astrometry: These techniques add detections in particular regimes, such as planets at wide separations or around compact objects.

Naming conventions and notable examples

Planet names generally follow the host star designation with successive lowercase letters starting at "b". Historical milestones frequently listed include the first systems discovered around a pulsar, the first planet around a Sun-like star in the mid-1990s, and later discoveries of nearby terrestrial-size planets and compact multi-planet systems. Well-known examples used as references include nearby temperate planets and compact systems of multiple Earth-sized worlds.

Catalogues, quality and limitations

Modern catalogues aggregate peer-reviewed confirmations, candidate lists from transit surveys and ground-based programs, and periodic reanalyses that revise parameter estimates. Important distinctions in lists are between confirmed and candidate objects, the precision of measurements, and biases introduced by each detection method (for example, transits favour short-period planets). Any catalogue represents a snapshot and requires constant maintenance and cross-checking against the literature.

Uses and future prospects

Exoplanet lists support statistical studies of planet populations, selection of targets for atmospheric characterization, and public outreach. As new space missions and instruments increase sensitivity and spectral capabilities, lists will grow and improve in completeness, allowing more robust comparisons across stellar types and planetary architectures.