# List of exoplanet firsts

This is a list of exoplanet discoveries that were the first by several criteria, including:
* the detection method used,
* the planet type,
* the planetary system type,
* the star type,
and others.

## The first

The choice of "first" depends on definition and confirmation, as below. The three systems detected prior to 1994 each have a drawback, with Gamma Cephei b being unconfirmed until 2002; while the PSR B1257+12 planets orbit a pulsar. This leaves 51 Pegasi b (discovered and confirmed 1995) as the first confirmed exoplanet around a normal star.
| First | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First detected exoplanet later confirmed | Gamma Cephei Ab | Gamma Cephei | 1988 (suspected), 2002 (confirmed) | First evidence for exoplanet to receive later confirmation. |
| First exoplanets to be confirmed | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | First super-Earths. These exoplanets orbit a pulsar. |
| First confirmed exoplanet around normal star | 51 Pegasi b | 51 Pegasi | 1995 | First convincing exoplanet discovered around a Sun-like star. While the minimum mass of HD 114762 b was high enough (11 Jupiter-masses) that it could be a brown dwarf, 51 Peg b's minimum mass meant that it almost certainly was near the mass of Jupiter. |

## By discovery method

First discovery by a method :
| Discovery method | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First planet discovered via pulsar timing | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | First super-earths. |
| First planet discovered via radial velocity | 51 Pegasi b | 51 Pegasi | 1995 | First convincing exoplanet discovered around a Sun-like star. While the minimum mass of HD 114762 b was high enough (11 Jupiter-masses) that it could be a brown dwarf, 51 Peg b's minimum mass meant that it almost certainly was near the mass of Jupiter. |
| First planet discovered via transit | OGLE-TR-56 b | OGLE-TR-56 | 2002 | This was also the second planet detected through transiting, and the then farthest planet known at time of discovery. The first extrasolar planet detected to be transiting was HD 209458 b, which had already been discovered by the radial velocity method. |
| First planet discovered via gravitational lensing | OGLE-2003-BLG-235L b | OGLE-2003-BLG-235L / MOA-2003-BLG-53L | 2004 | This was discovered independently by the OGLE and MOA teams. |
| First exoplanet discovered by directly imaging the extrasolar planet | 2M1207 b | 2M1207 | 2004/ 2005 | May be a brown dwarf instead of a planet, depending on formation mechanism and definitions chosen. |
| First planet discovered through variable star timing | V391 Pegasi b | V391 Pegasi | 2007 | The planet was discovered by examining deviations from pulsation frequency from a subdwarf star. |
| First extrasolar planet discovered by indirect imaging (visible light) | Fomalhaut b | Fomalhaut | 2008 | Discovered by a light reflecting off of a dust cloud surrounding the planet. First planet orbiting an ABO star. In 2020 this object was determined to be an expanding debris cloud from a collision of asteroids rather than a planet. |
| First extrasolar planet discovered by astrometric observations | HD 176051 b | HD 176051 A or HD 176051 B | 2010 | Orbits around one of the stars in a binary star system although it is not known which component it is orbiting around. |
| First exoplanet discovered by orbital perturbations of another planet | Kepler-19c | Kepler-19 (KOI-84, TYC 3134-1549-1) | 2011 | Detected through transit-timing variation method. Its existence was inferred by the gravitational influence it had on the orbital periodicity of Kepler-19b. |
| First exoplanets discovered by orbital phase reflected light variations | Kepler-70b, Kepler-70c | Kepler-70 | 2011 | Now dubious. |
| First exoplanet discovered by transit-duration variation method | Kepler-88c | Kepler-88 (KOI-142) | 2013 | Both transit timing variation and transit-duration variation was measured to measure deviations from the regular orbit of Kepler-88b. Deviations of the planet's transit duration and timing helped to discover Kepler-88c. |

## By detection method

Some of these planets had already been discovered by another method but were the first to be detected by the listed method.
First detection by a method :
| Detection method | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First planet detected via radial velocity | Gamma Cephei Ab | Gamma Cephei | 1988 | First evidence for exoplanet to receive later confirmation. |
| First planet detected via pulsar timing | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | |
| First planet detected by transit method | HD 209458 b | HD 209458 | 1999 | This first exoplanet found to be transiting had already been discovered by the radial velocity method. This is also the first planet that has been detected through more than one method. |
| First directly imaged extrasolar planet (infrared) | 2M1207 b | 2M1207 | 2004/ 2005 | May be a sub-brown dwarf instead of a planet, depending on formation mechanism and definitions chosen. If it is a planet, it is the first known planet around a brown dwarf. |
| First directly imaged extrasolar planet orbiting a 'normal' star (infrared) | DH Tauri b | DH Tauri | 2005 | Revised masses place it below the deuterium-burning limit. May be a brown dwarf companion. DH Tauri b and GQ Lupi b were confirmed as companions within about three month in 2005. Both could be brown dwarfs. If one is a planet, it is the first planet orbiting a 'normal' star, possibly the first exoplanet directly imaged. |
| First directly imaged extrasolar planet orbiting a sun-like star (infrared) | AB Pictoris b | AB Pictoris | 2005 | It has 10±1 M$_J$. GQ Lupi b was found earlier. May, however, be a brown dwarf companion. 1RXS J160929.1−210524 b was found later. Revised mass places it at or above the deuterium-burning limit. May be a sub-brown dwarf instead of a planet, depending on formation mechanism and definitions chosen. The orbital status of the companion was confirmed in 2010. |
| First planet with observed secondary eclipse (infrared) | HD 209458 b | HD 209458 | 2005 | Planet was discovered in 1999. This is the first detection of light from an object with a clear planetary origin. |
| First planet characterized by atmospheric spectroscopy | HD 209458 b | HD 209458 | 2007 | also by HD 189733 b was characterized spectroscopically only few month later. Any of the earlier Direct imaging exoplanets, e.g. 2M1207 b, DH Tauri b or GQ Lupi b have spatially resolved spectroscopic observations, but the objects need confirmation to be of planetary origin. |
| First planets directly characterized through astrometric observations | Gliese 876 b and Gliese 876 c | Gliese 876 | 2009 | |
| First planet detected by orbital phase reflected light variations in visible light | CoRoT-1b | CoRoT-1 | 2009 | The planet in question had already been discovered with transit method. |
| First planet characterized by spatially resolved atmospheric spectroscopy | HR 8799 c | HR 8799 | 2010 | Several spectra of Direct imaging exoplanets might be earlier, but the objects need confirmation to be of planetary origin. Especially AB Pictoris b is a candidate, if its mass is confirmed to be 10±1 M$_J$. |
| First planets detected through ellipsoidal light variations of the host star | HAT-P-7b | HAT-P-7 | 2010 | |
| First planets detected through transit timing variation method | Kepler-9b, Kepler-9c | Kepler-9 | 2010 | Transit-timing variation was used to confirm both planets detected through transit method. |
| First planet detected through transit duration variation method | Kepler-16b | Kepler-16 | 2011 | Orbital motion of the three-body system Kepler-16 causes variations of the duration of stellar eclipses and planetary transits. |
| First planet detected with eclipsing binary timing with well-characterized orbit | Kepler-16b | Kepler-16 | 2011 | Kepler-16b itself was detected through transit method. There are stars with earlier detections through eclipsing binary timing. However, either those signals have matched with unstable orbits or the exact orbits are not known. |
| First planet detected by light variations due to relativistic beaming | TrES-2b | TrES-2A | 2012 | |
| First tilted multi-planetary system discovered | Kepler-56b, c and d | Kepler-56 | 2013 | |
| First extrasolar planet detected through polarimetry | DH Tauri b / GSC 6214-210 b | DH Tauri / GSC 6214-210 | 2021 | "polarization of several tenths of a percent for DH Tau B and GSC 6214-210 B in H-band" ... "unlikely to be caused by interstellar dust." ... "the polarization most likely originates from circumsubstellar disks." Both companions may be brown dwarfs or exoplanets. Polarized scattered light was found for HD 189733 b in 2008. It could not be confirmed and was disputed by two separate teams. Possibly a "Saharan dust event over the La Palma observatory in 2008 August". HD 189733 b was discovered in 2005. |

## By system type

First discovery by system type :
| System type | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First extrasolar planet discovered in a solitary star system | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | First extrasolar planets discovered. |
| First multiple planet extrasolar system discovered | PSR B1257+12 A PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | First pulsar planetary system. |
| First planet discovered in a circumbinary orbit | PSR B1620-26 b | PSR B1620-26 | 1993 | Orbits a pulsar and a white dwarf. Discovery confirmed in 2003. |
| First planet discovered in globular cluster | PSR B1620-26 b | PSR B1620-26 | 1993 | Located in Messier 4. |
| First planet discovered in a multiple main-sequence star system | 55 Cancri b | 55 Cancri | 1996 | 55 Cnc has a distant red dwarf companion. The planet around Gamma Cephei was already suspected in 1988, although its existence was not confirmed until 2002 Gamma Cephei Ab is the first relatively close binary with a planet. |
| First "free-floating" planet discovered | S Ori 68 | — | 2000 | ~5 M$_{Jupiter}$ Isolated status needs confirmation. Could be a companion of SE 70; needs confimation. S Ori J053810.1-023626 (S Ori 70) has a mass of 3 M$_{Jupiter}$; needs confirmation. |
| First binary star system where both components have separate planetary systems | HD 20781 b HD 20781 c HD 20782 b | HD 20781 HD 20782 | 2011 | |
| First multiple planet system in a multi-star system where multiple planets orbit multiple stars | Kepler-47b Kepler-47c | Kepler-47 | 2012 | NN Serpentis cataclysmic variable is suspected to have at least 2 planets as of 2009. |

## By star type

First discovery by star type :
| Star type | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First pulsar planet discovered | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | |
| First known planet orbiting a white dwarf. | PSR B1620-26 b | PSR B1620-26 | 1993 | Orbits a pulsar and a white dwarf. Discovery confirmed in 2003. GD 66 b was announced in 2007, but has not been confirmed. |
| First known extrasolar planet orbiting a main sequence star (Sun-like) | 51 Pegasi b | 51 Pegasi | 1995 | First hot Jupiter. |
| First known planet orbiting a red dwarf | Gliese 876 b | Gliese 876 | 1998 | |
| First "free-floating" planet discovered | S Ori 68 | — | 2000 | ~5 M$_{Jupiter}$ Isolated status needs confirmation. Could be a companion of SE 70; needs confimation. S Ori J053810.1-023626 (S Ori 70) has a mass of 3 M$_{Jupiter}$; needs confirmation. |
| First known planet orbiting a giant star | Epsilon Reticuli b | Epsilon Reticuli A | 2000 | |
| First known planet orbiting a brown dwarf. | 2M1207 b | 2M1207 | 2004 | May in fact be a sub-brown dwarf instead of a planet, depending on formation mechanism and definitions chosen. First directly imaged planet. |
| First known planet orbiting an ABO star (blue-white star) | Fomalhaut b | Fomalhaut | 2008 | First extrasolar planet discovered by visible light image. In 2020 this object was determined to be an expanding debris cloud from a collision of asteroids rather than a planet. |
| First confirmed planet orbiting only a white dwarf. | WD 0806−661 B | WD 0806−661 | 2011 | |
| First known planet orbiting a hypervelocity star. | MOA-2011-BLG-262Lb | MOA-2011-BLG-262L | 2024 | |

## By planet type

Firsts by planet type :
| Planet type | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First super-Earth discovered | PSR B1257+12 B PSR B1257+12 C | PSR B1257+12 | 1992 | First planets discovered. |
| First hot Jupiter | 51 Pegasi b | 51 Pegasi | 1995 | First planet discovered orbiting a main sequence star. |
| First evaporating planet discovered | HD 209458 b | HD 209458 | 1999 | First transiting planet. |
| First free-floating planet discovered | OTS 44 | — | 1998 | |
| First extrasolar terrestrial planet orbiting a main sequence star | 55 Cancri e | 55 Cancri | 2004 | Mu Arae c (discovered in 2004) has been proposed to be a terrestrial planet, but its terrestrial nature is not confirmed, as no radius measurements are available so the density is unknown. The minimum mass is comparable to that of Uranus, which is not a terrestrial planet. The first extrasolar planet found to have a density compatible with being a rocky planet is CoRoT-7b in 2009. 55 Cancri e was found to be a terrestrial planet in 2011. |
| First super-Earth orbiting a main sequence star | Gliese 876 d | Gliese 876 | 2005 | Orbits a red dwarf star. |
| First icy extrasolar planet orbiting a main sequence star | OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb | OGLE-2005-BLG-390L | 2006 | Orbits a red dwarf star. The icy nature of this planet is not confirmed, as no radius measurements are available so the density is unknown. The first extrasolar planet known to have a density compatible with being an icy planet is GJ 1214 b, though even for this case there are other possibilities for the composition. |
| First ocean planet candidate; also first small planet within the circumstellar habitable zone | Gliese 581d | Gliese 581 | 2007 | Orbits a red dwarf star. This planet orbits a little too far from the star, but the greenhouse effect would be enough to make this planet habitable. The other ocean planet candidate, GJ 1214 b, was detected by transit in which the density was calculated and determined that this planet is an ocean planet. Now disputed. |
| First Jupiter analogue | HIP 11915 b | HIP 11915 | 2015 | The discovery raises the possibility that HIP 11915 will be the first Solar System analogue discovered. |

## Other

Other firsts :
| Record | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First map of an extrasolar planet released | HD 189733 b | HD 189733 | 2007 | The map in question is a thermal emission map. |
| First multi-planet extrasolar system directly imaged | HR 8799 b HR 8799 c HR 8799 d HR 8799 e | HR 8799 | 2008 | |
| First planet discovered with a retrograde orbit | WASP-17b | WASP-17 | 2009 | The planet HAT-P-7b was discovered before WASP-17b, but its retrograde nature was announced after that of WASP-17b. The planet Nu Octantis Ab, whose orbit is retrograde in a close binary star, was suspected to exist since 2004 although it was not confirmed until 2021. |
| First planet discovered orbiting a Sun-like star in a star cluster | Pr0201b Pr0211b | Pr0201 Pr0211 | 2012 | Beehive Cluster star cluster. |
| First recorded planet-planet transit | Kepler-89d Kepler-89e | Kepler-89 | 2012 | Kepler-89e was found to partially transit Kepler-89d. |
| First extrasolar planet with serious potential to support life | Kepler-62f | Kepler-62 | 2013 | Kepler-62f was the first definite near-Earth-sized planet discovered within its star's habitable zone. |
| First transiting planet discovered in a star cluster | Kepler-66b Kepler-67b | Kepler-66 Kepler-67 | 2013 | NGC 6811 star cluster; these two planets were, at the time of discovery, only two of six total planets known in star clusters. |
| First map of cloud coverage of an extrasolar planet | Kepler-7b | Kepler-7 | 2013 | Observations indicate cloud coverage in the west and clear skies in the east. |
| First not tidally locked extrasolar planet to have its day length measured | Beta Pictoris b | Beta Pictoris | 2014 | Rotation time was calculated to be 8.1 hours. |
| First planet found to contain water in the stratosphere | WASP-121b | WASP-121 | 2017 | |
| First extrasolar planet system with one radial velocity and one directly imaged planet | Beta Pictoris b Beta Pictoris c | Beta Pictoris | 2019 | |
| First Earth-mass rogue planet unbounded by any star, and free floating in the Milky Way galaxy. | OGLE-2016-BLG-1928 | — | 2020 | Detected by microlensing techniques. |