What is the closest exoplanet to Earth?
The closest known exoplanet to Earth is Proxima Cen b, about 4.2 light-years away. Everything about Proxima Cen b →
The top ten
| # | World | Distance | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ 1 | Proxima Cen b | 4.2 light-years | 2016 |
| 2 | Proxima Cen d | 4.2 light-years | 2025 |
| 3 | Barnard b | 6.0 light-years | 2024 |
| 4 | Barnard c | 6.0 light-years | 2025 |
| 5 | Barnard d | 6.0 light-years | 2025 |
| 6 | Barnard e | 6.0 light-years | 2025 |
| 7 | eps Eri b | 10.4 light-years | 2000 |
| 8 | GJ 887 b | 10.7 light-years | 2020 |
| 9 | GJ 887 c | 10.7 light-years | 2020 |
| 10 | GJ 887 d | 10.7 light-years | 2026 |
How we know
Distance here is the host star's parallax distance, one of the most precise measurements in astronomy. Our own solar system's worlds are excluded: they are planets, not exoplanets.
Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to the Sun, which makes this record close to unbeatable: only another world around the same star, or an undiscovered planet adrift between the stars, could ever sit closer. The table below doubles as a tour of the neighborhood: every entry is within about a dozen light-years of home.
Keep exploring: all records · the nearest worlds to Earth · the nearest systems with planets