Abstract
We discuss the global properties of the nearly 80 extrasolar planets (or exoplanets for short) so far discovered, and compare them with our previous expectations from theoretical models of planet formation. The discovered exoplanets have masses around that of Jupiter or larger but, in sharp contrast with Jupiter, they are close to their central stars and most of them have large eccentricities. We will also analyze different alternatives that could explain the different properties of the exoplanets with respect to the Jovian planets of our solar system. Since the current most widely used search technique (spectroscopy) strongly favors the discovery of massive planets close to their central stars, it is possible that they are very weird cases, uncommon in comparison with regular planetary systems like ours.
