When Was the First Photo of an Exoplanet Taken?

In 2004 astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile captured a direct image of 2M1207 b, a giant planet orbiting a brown dwarf about 170 light-years away. The image was confirmed in 2005. Before this, exoplanets were detected only indirectly (e.g., by radial velocity or transit dimming). The Kepler and TESS missions later found thousands more exoplanets, and the James Webb Space Telescope has begun capturing detailed spectral data from exoplanet atmospheres.