Explore the Exoplanets
Thousands of worlds orbit distant stars. Explore confirmed exoplanets, habitable zone candidates, and the telescopes hunting for life beyond our solar system.
Live Exoplanet Tracker
Spin the galaxy. Track discoveries in real-time using NASA's interactive 3D database.
Notable Worlds
The most extreme, historic, and Earth-like worlds ever discovered by humanity.
Kepler-452b
Earth's CousinOrbits a Sun-like star in the habitable zone — one of the most Earth-like planets found.
TRAPPIST-1e
Best Habitable CandidateOne of seven Earth-size planets around TRAPPIST-1 — three sit in the habitable zone.
HD 209458 b
OsirisFirst exoplanet detected transiting its star and first confirmed to have an evaporating atmosphere.
55 Cancri e
Diamond WorldSurface temperatures exceed 2,000°C — carbon may crystallise into vast diamond deposits.
Proxima Centauri b
Our Closest NeighborOrbits in the habitable zone of the closest star to our Sun, making it a prime target for future probes.
K2-18 b
Hycean WorldJames Webb detected carbon-bearing molecules here, hinting at a potential global liquid ocean.
Humanity's Hunt for Alien Worlds
A complete timeline of how we mapped the interstellar neighborhood.
Explore the Exoplanet Timeline ▼ Close the Cosmic Timeline ▲
The First Discovery: Pulsar Planets
Astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail shock the world by discovering the first confirmed exoplanets, Poltergeist and Phobetor. Bizarrely, they orbit a dead, rapidly spinning neutron star (a pulsar).
First Planet Around a Sun-Like Star
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discover 51 Pegasi b, proving that giant planets can exist around normal stars. It defies logic by orbiting extremely close to its star, creating a new class: "Hot Jupiters."
Tasting an Alien Atmosphere
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists analyze the starlight passing through the atmosphere of HD 209458 b, detecting sodium. It is the first time we analyze the air of a world outside our solar system.
The Launch of Kepler
NASA launches the Kepler Space Telescope, a dedicated planet-hunter designed to stare at 150,000 stars simultaneously to catch the tiny shadows (transits) of planets passing in front of them.
An Earth-Sized Cousin
The Kepler mission discovers Kepler-186f, cementing a massive milestone: it is the first validated Earth-sized planet found inside the habitable "Goldilocks" zone of its star.
The TRAPPIST-1 Revelation
NASA announces the discovery of a crowded system 40 light-years away containing seven Earth-sized rocky planets, three of which rest perfectly in the habitable zone.
The James Webb Space Telescope Launches
The most powerful telescope in history is launched, armed with infrared instruments capable of peering directly into the atmospheres of exoplanets to hunt for biosignatures.
JWST Captures a Direct Image
Webb captures its very first direct optical image of an exoplanet (HIP 65426 b), blocking out the host star's light using coronagraphs to reveal the glowing gas giant.
The Search for Biosignatures
JWST continues to analyze targets like K2-18 b, detecting carbon dioxide and methane, aggressively pushing humanity closer to answering if we are alone in the universe.
Exoplanet Exploration Tools
Official catalogues, 3D star maps, and mission data from NASA and ESA.
NASA Exoplanet Archive
The official catalogue of all confirmed exoplanets with orbital parameters, discovery methods, and stellar data.
NASA Exoplanet Exploration
Interactive 3D star map, planet profiles, and the latest news from exoplanet science.
Eyes on Exoplanets
Fly to any confirmed exoplanet in a fully rendered 3D galaxy — powered by NASA data.
Open Exoplanet Catalogue
Community-maintained open-source database of all known exoplanets with downloadable data.
ESA Cheops Mission
ESA's planet-hunting satellite characterising exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars.
TESS Mission
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite — scanning the sky for planets around nearby stars.
Explore the Exoplanets
Thousands of worlds orbit distant stars. Explore confirmed exoplanets, habitable zone candidates, and the telescopes hunting for life beyond our solar system.
Live Exoplanet Tracker
Spin the galaxy. Track discoveries in real-time using NASA's interactive 3D database.
Notable Worlds
The most extreme, historic, and Earth-like worlds ever discovered by humanity.
Kepler-452b
Earth's CousinOrbits a Sun-like star in the habitable zone — one of the most Earth-like planets found.
TRAPPIST-1e
Best Habitable CandidateOne of seven Earth-size planets around TRAPPIST-1 — three sit in the habitable zone.
HD 209458 b
OsirisFirst exoplanet detected transiting its star and first confirmed to have an evaporating atmosphere.
55 Cancri e
Diamond WorldSurface temperatures exceed 2,000°C — carbon may crystallise into vast diamond deposits.
Proxima Centauri b
Our Closest NeighborOrbits in the habitable zone of the closest star to our Sun, making it a prime target for future probes.
K2-18 b
Hycean WorldJames Webb detected carbon-bearing molecules here, hinting at a potential global liquid ocean.
Humanity's Hunt for Alien Worlds
A complete timeline of how we mapped the interstellar neighborhood.
Explore the Exoplanet Timeline ▼ Close the Cosmic Timeline ▲
The First Discovery: Pulsar Planets
Astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail shock the world by discovering the first confirmed exoplanets, Poltergeist and Phobetor. Bizarrely, they orbit a dead, rapidly spinning neutron star (a pulsar).
First Planet Around a Sun-Like Star
Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discover 51 Pegasi b, proving that giant planets can exist around normal stars. It defies logic by orbiting extremely close to its star, creating a new class: "Hot Jupiters."
Tasting an Alien Atmosphere
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists analyze the starlight passing through the atmosphere of HD 209458 b, detecting sodium. It is the first time we analyze the air of a world outside our solar system.
The Launch of Kepler
NASA launches the Kepler Space Telescope, a dedicated planet-hunter designed to stare at 150,000 stars simultaneously to catch the tiny shadows (transits) of planets passing in front of them.
An Earth-Sized Cousin
The Kepler mission discovers Kepler-186f, cementing a massive milestone: it is the first validated Earth-sized planet found inside the habitable "Goldilocks" zone of its star.
The TRAPPIST-1 Revelation
NASA announces the discovery of a crowded system 40 light-years away containing seven Earth-sized rocky planets, three of which rest perfectly in the habitable zone.
The James Webb Space Telescope Launches
The most powerful telescope in history is launched, armed with infrared instruments capable of peering directly into the atmospheres of exoplanets to hunt for biosignatures.
JWST Captures a Direct Image
Webb captures its very first direct optical image of an exoplanet (HIP 65426 b), blocking out the host star's light using coronagraphs to reveal the glowing gas giant.
The Search for Biosignatures
JWST continues to analyze targets like K2-18 b, detecting carbon dioxide and methane, aggressively pushing humanity closer to answering if we are alone in the universe.
Exoplanet Exploration Tools
Official catalogues, 3D star maps, and mission data from NASA and ESA.
NASA Exoplanet Archive
The official catalogue of all confirmed exoplanets with orbital parameters, discovery methods, and stellar data.
NASA Exoplanet Exploration
Interactive 3D star map, planet profiles, and the latest news from exoplanet science.
Eyes on Exoplanets
Fly to any confirmed exoplanet in a fully rendered 3D galaxy — powered by NASA data.
Open Exoplanet Catalogue
Community-maintained open-source database of all known exoplanets with downloadable data.
ESA Cheops Mission
ESA's planet-hunting satellite characterising exoplanets orbiting nearby bright stars.
TESS Mission
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite — scanning the sky for planets around nearby stars.