🌌 Historical Timeline
The History of the Exoplanet Hunt
From the first pulsar planet detection in 1992 through pioneering space telescopes (Kepler, TESS, CHEOPS, JWST) to discoveries by citizen scientists (Planet Hunters TESS) and Artificial Intelligence.
1992 & 1995 — Pioneers
First Discoveries & Nobel Prize
Wolszczan & Frail discover the first pulsar planets in 1992. In 1995 Mayor & Queloz detect 51 Pegasi b around a sun-like star (Physics Nobel Prize 2019).
2009–2023 — Space Missions
Kepler, TESS & JWST Era
Space telescopes revolutionize exoplanet research using the transit method. Thousands of new worlds, atmospheric spectra, and ocean planets are discovered.
2021–Present — Citizen Science & AI
Planet Hunters & Deep Learning
Citizen scientists at Planet Hunters TESS identify new transiting planets. Deep learning algorithms (ExoMiner, Vanderburg) assist in automated validation.
📜 Chronological Timeline (1992 – Present)
Filter or search the complete list of exoplanet discovery milestones.
Showing 29 Milestones
| Year ⇳ | Event / Milestone & Link ⇳ | Additional Information / Discoverers & Telescopes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ↗ | WISE J033605.05-014350.4 b: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) |
| 2022 | October 2022: for the first time one of my PHT candidates was confirmed → | TOI-5174 b |
| 2022 | possible first ocean world discovered ↗ | TOI-1452 b: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) |
| 2022 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope Gaia Satellite ↗ | Gaia-1 b: Gregory Olmschenk, exoplanet research program at JHU/CAS, DPAC of Gaia, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), Gaia Satellite |
| 2021 | since May I (Gerd Gühne) started to work at Planet Hunters TESS (PHT) and from October also at Planet Hunters NGTS → | |
| 2021 | 27th December 2021: I discovered my first exoplanet candidate on PHT → | TIC 59490344.01 |
| 2021 | first exoplanets from ExoMiner (a highly accurate and explainable Deep Learning classifier) ↗ | KIC 10015937 b: Hamed Valizadegan, ExoMiner (Deep Learning Classifier), Kepler Space Telescope |
| 2020 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS) ↗ | HD 133112 b: SuperWASP Project, CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), Monika Lendl |
| 2019 | Nobel prize for exoplanet hunters Mayor & Queloz ↗ | 51 Pegasi b |
| 2018 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) ↗ | HD 1397 b: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), L.D. Nielsen |
| 2017 | first exoplanets with Deep Learning ↗ | Kepler-80 g: Kepler Space Telescope, Andrew Vanderburg |
| 2016 | the first large-scale demonstration of a fully automated transiting planet validation procedure ↗ | Timothy D. Morton |
| 2016 | exoplanet around the nearest star discovered ↗ | HIP 70890 b: Guillem Anglada-Escude |
| 2016 | first Earth-sized planet in habitable zone discovered ↗ | HIP 70890 b: Guillem Anglada-Escude |
| 2012 | first exoplanet discovered by an amateur astronomer ↗ | KIC 4862625 b: California and Carnegie Planet Search, Planet Hunters project (Zooniverse), Kepler Space Telescope, Peter McCullough, Guillaume Hebrard, M. E. Schwamb, Jeff A. Valenti, Magali Deleuil, Rodrigo Diaz, Veselin B. Kostov, Tobias Hinse, Zlatan Tsvetanov |
| 2011 | NASA's Exoplanet archiv established ↗ | |
| 2011 | first Earth-sized exoplanet ↗ | KIC 6850504 f: California and Carnegie Planet Search, Kepler Space Telescope, Geoffrey W. Marcy, Andrew W. Howard, J. Rowe, Guillermo Torres, David Charbonneau, David W. Latham, Steve B. Howell, Stephen T. Bryson, Francois Fressin |
| 2011 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope Spitzer Space Telescope ↗ | GJ 3483 b: Spitzer Space Telescope, Kevin L. Luhman, B. Zuckerman, David R. Rodriguez, Carl Melis, Inseok Song |
| 2008 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope Kepler Space Telescope ↗ | HAT-P-7 b: HATNet Project, California and Carnegie Planet Search, Kepler Space Telescope, R. Noyes, Gaspar Bakos, Guillermo Torres, A. Pal |
| 2007 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope CoRoT Telescope ↗ | CoRoT-1 b: Geneva Extrasolar Planet Search, Corot Scientific Committee, CoRoT Telescope, Didier Queloz, A. Hatzes, Tsevi Mazeh, Guillaume Hebrard, J. Schneider, C. Moutou, F. Pont, M. Gillon, P. Barge, A. Baglin, M. Auvergne |
| 2006 | first exoplanet with help of space telescope Hubble Space Telescope ↗ | CHXR 73 b: Hubble Space Telescope, Kevin L. Luhman |
| 2004 | first microlensing exoplanet ↗ | MOA-2003-BLG-053L b: OGLE Project, MOA Project, A. Udalski, I. Bond, M. Jaroszynski, N. Rattenbury |
| 2003 | first discovered exoplanet with direct imaging method ↗ | Beta Pictoris b: Geneva Extrasolar Planet Search, A.-M. Lagrange, Michel Mayor, Stephane Udry, Francesco Pepe, F. Galland, Jean-Luc Beuzit, A. Chelli |
| 2002 | first version of program "Planetensuche" developed, inspired by a science article "The search for a second Earth" in bild der wissenschaft (a German magazine) 5/2000 → | |
| 2002 | first transit exoplanet ↗ | OGLE-TR-56 b: OGLE Project, M. Konacki, A. Udalski |
| 2001 | first discovered exoplanet around a sun-like star ↗ | HD 141937 b: Geneva Extrasolar Planet Search, CORALIE planet-search survey, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz, Dominique Naef, Stephane Udry, Nuno C. Santos, Francesco Pepe, Michel Burnet |
| 1996 | first exoplanet in a binary system ↗ | 16 Cygni B b: AAPS Project, California and Carnegie Planet Search, Mc Donald Observatory Planet Search Program, William D. Cochran, A. Hatzes, Geoffrey W. Marcy, R. Paul Butler |
| 1995 | exoplanet.eu established ↗ | |
| 1992 | first discovered exoplanet ↗ | Draugr: A. Wolszczan, D. Frail |
ℹ️ Generation Note
Note:
Site generated by Planetensuche version 6.25 based on this database:
- 5496 confirmed exoplanets
- 50 exoplanet projects/teams
- 523 exoplanet discoverers
Last update at 2 Dec 2023, 18:15:36