Archive scaled distances match semimajor axes in stellar radii within 10 percent for 82 of 83 selected eccentric planets

We tested the meaning of pl_ratdor in a NASA Exoplanet Archive Planetary Systems response received on 21 October 2026 UTC. The column label names a semimajor axis divided by stellar radius. Its description names a distance at mid-transit. We selected 83 eccentric transiting planets with complete core values and zero limit flags. Each record has equal planet and star paper references. Its approximate transit distance differs from the semimajor axis by at least 20 percent. For 82 planets, the listed scale matches the semimajor axis in stellar radii within 10 percent. The median absolute relative difference is 0.177 percent. None matches the approximate transit distance within 10 percent under the stated transit-angle convention. A 56-planet control rejects both opposite angle choices as approximate distance interpretations and retains all 56 semimajor-axis matches. We also tested 76 records with valid inclination and radius ratio. A geometric lower bound forbids a transit in 12 records if the scale means actual distance at mid-transit. All 12 allow a transit with the semimajor-axis meaning. This bound is independent of the periastron angle. The only primary semimajor-axis mismatch above 10 percent is HD 207496 b; its paper lists the same central values. We leave its cause unresolved. The package preserves the 491-record source response, full selection decisions, source checks, figures, and reproducible code. These are descriptive checks of selected central values, not new planet detections or population estimates.

NASA Exoplanet Archive · eccentric orbits · transit geometry · catalog validation · scaled semimajor axis · reproducible astronomy