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,
The first
The choice of "first" depends on definition and confirmation, as below. The three systems detected prior to 1994 each have a drawback, withGamma Cephei b being unconfirmed until 2002; HD 114762 b is near the boundary of exoplanet / brown dwarf mass; while the
PSR B1257+12 planets orbit a pulsar. This leaves 51 Peg b as the first confirmed exoplanet around a normal star.
| Title | Planet | Star | Year | Notes |
| First detected exoplanet later confirmed | Gamma Cephei Ab | Gamma Cephei | 1988, 2002 | 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. However, these exoplanets orbit a pulsar rather than a normal star. |
| 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 that it could be a brown dwarf, 51 Peg b's minimum mass meant that it almost certainly was near the mass of Jupiter. |