search_planets
Search for exoplanets in NASA's Exoplanet Archive with flexible filters. Find confirmed planets by mass, radius, orbital period, discovery method, and more.
Instructions
Search for exoplanets in NASA's Exoplanet Archive with flexible filters. Returns matching planets from the Planetary Systems Composite Parameters table (one row per confirmed planet, best-available measurements).
This is the primary tool for most exoplanet questions. All filter parameters are optional and can be combined. If no filters are given, returns the most recently discovered planets.
For single-planet lookups by exact name, use get_planet instead. For complex queries needing GROUP BY, JOIN, spatial/cone searches, or querying tables other than the main planet catalog, use run_query instead.
If a name-based search returns no results, the name may need resolving — try resolve_name first to find the canonical archive name.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| name | No | Planet name to search for. Supports partial matching (e.g., 'Kepler-22' matches 'Kepler-22 b'). For exact single-planet lookup with full details, use the get_planet tool instead. | |
| limit | No | Maximum results to return (1-500, default 25). | |
| offset | No | Number of results to skip, for pagination. | |
| columns | No | Columns to return. Defaults to a curated set of key properties. Use list_columns to discover all 300+ available columns. | |
| facility | No | Discovery facility or mission name (e.g., 'Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)', 'Kepler', 'W. M. Keck Observatory'). Partial match supported. | |
| hostname | No | Host star name (e.g., 'TRAPPIST-1', 'Kepler-442'). Returns all planets in that system. | |
| max_mass | No | Maximum planet mass in Earth masses. | |
| min_mass | No | Minimum planet mass in Earth masses. Earth=1.0, Neptune~17.1, Jupiter~317.8. Uses best-available mass (true mass if known, otherwise minimum mass M*sin(i)). | |
| order_by | No | Column to sort by. Prefix with '-' for descending order. Examples: 'sy_dist' (nearest first), '-sy_dist' (farthest first), '-disc_year' (most recent first), 'pl_rade' (smallest first), '-pl_rade' (largest first), '-pl_bmasse' (most massive first), '-pl_eqt' (hottest first), 'pl_eqt' (coolest first), '-pl_orbeccen' (most eccentric first), '-pl_dens' (densest first). | |
| year_max | No | Latest discovery year (e.g., 2025). | |
| year_min | No | Earliest discovery year (e.g., 2020). | |
| max_period | No | Maximum orbital period in days. | |
| max_radius | No | Maximum planet radius in Earth radii. | |
| min_period | No | Minimum orbital period in days. Earth~365.25, Jupiter~4333. | |
| min_radius | No | Minimum planet radius in Earth radii. Earth=1.0, Neptune~3.9, Jupiter~11.2. | |
| max_distance | No | Maximum distance from Earth in parsecs. | |
| min_distance | No | Minimum distance from Earth in parsecs. 1 parsec ~ 3.26 light-years. | |
| max_temperature | No | Maximum equilibrium temperature in Kelvin. | |
| min_temperature | No | Minimum equilibrium temperature in Kelvin. Earth~255K. Habitable zone roughly 200-320K. | |
| discovery_method | No | How the planet was detected. One of: Transit, Radial Velocity, Microlensing, Imaging, Transit Timing Variations, Eclipse Timing Variations, Orbital Brightness Modulation, Pulsar Timing, Astrometry, Disk Kinematics, Pulsation Timing Variations. | |
| min_planets_in_system | No | Minimum number of planets in the system. Use 2+ for multi-planet systems. |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| result | Yes |