Haute-Provence Observatory
Data on Kepler-40 was analyzed by a team of French and Swiss astronomers, who first tested for false positives. When all obvious false positives were cleared, the science team used the SOPHIE échelle spectrograph at the Haute-Provence Observatory in southern France to gather radial velocity measurements on the star. Collected data was then checked to see if it corresponded with that of a closely orbiting binary star or that of a planet; it was found to be that of a planet, leading to the confirmation of Kepler-40b.