Which exoplanet is closest to Earth in size?
26 transiting exoplanets measure within 1% of Earth's radius, closer than their measurements can tell apart, and the nearest of them is LHS 475 b, 40.7 ly away at 0.99 times Earth's radius. Everything about LHS 475 b →
| # | World | Radius | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ 1 | LHS 475 b | 0.99× Earth's radius | 40.7 ly |
| 2 | HD 101581 c | 0.99× Earth's radius | 41.7 ly |
| 3 | TOI-5388.01 | 0.99× Earth's radius | 60.4 ly |
| 4 | TOI-2267 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 73.5 ly |
| 5 | K2-239 c | 1.00× Earth's radius | 101 ly |
| 6 | TOI-2322 b | 0.99× Earth's radius | 195 ly |
| 7 | K2-72 d | 1.01× Earth's radius | 217 ly |
| 8 | K2-229 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 335 ly |
| 9 | EPIC 206215704 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 358 ly |
| 10 | EPIC 206032309 b | 1.01× Earth's radius | 526 ly |
| 11 | Kepler-398 c | 1.01× Earth's radius | 578 ly |
| 12 | EPIC 201833600 c | 1.00× Earth's radius | 840 ly |
| 13 | Kepler-381 b | 0.99× Earth's radius | 872 ly |
| 14 | Kepler-1800 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 1,143 ly |
| 15 | Kepler-969 c | 0.99× Earth's radius | 1,273 ly |
| 16 | Kepler-322 b | 1.01× Earth's radius | 1,306 ly |
| 17 | Kepler-1081 b | 1.01× Earth's radius | 1,371 ly |
| 18 | Kepler-1482 b | 1.01× Earth's radius | 1,851 ly |
| 19 | EPIC 220492298 b | 0.99× Earth's radius | 2,037 ly |
| 20 | Kepler-595 c | 1.01× Earth's radius | 2,097 ly |
| 21 | Kepler-392 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 2,223 ly |
| 22 | Kepler-1047 c | 0.99× Earth's radius | 2,667 ly |
| 23 | Kepler-1278 b | 1.01× Earth's radius | 2,901 ly |
| 24 | Kepler-1417 b | 1.00× Earth's radius | 3,235 ly |
| 25 | Kepler-1464 c | 1.00× Earth's radius | 3,756 ly |
Showing the top 25 of 4,700 that qualify.
A transiting planet's size is measured rather than inferred: it blocks a fixed fraction of its star's light on every crossing, and that fraction is a direct ratio of the two sizes. The number still carries an uncertainty of a few percent, most of it inherited from the size of the star, so every world within about 1% of Earth's radius is Earth's size as far as anyone can tell. This table lists those first, nearest to us first, since the nearest one is the one astronomers can study best, and then everything else by how close its radius comes.
Size is only one half of being Earth-like. A world the size of Earth can orbit close enough to its star to melt or far enough out to freeze, and a radius says nothing about air or water; the Earth Similarity Index, which weighs temperature alongside size, is the better single measure of that. Only planets found by the transit method are ranked, because theirs are the sizes measured geometrically, and disputed detections are left out.
Which exoplanet is closest to Earth in size?
26 transiting exoplanets measure within 1% of Earth's radius, closer than their measurements can tell apart, and the nearest of them is LHS 475 b, 40.7 ly away at 0.99 times Earth's radius.
How many exoplanets are the same size as Earth?
26 transiting exoplanets here measure within 1% of Earth's radius and 92 within 5%, out of 4,708 found by the transit method. Many more surely exist: small planets are the hardest kind to find.
Does Earth-sized mean Earth-like?
No. A planet can match Earth's size and still orbit close enough to its star to melt, or far enough out to freeze, and its size alone says nothing about air or water. The Earth Similarity Index, which weighs temperature alongside size, is the closer measure of an Earth-like world.
How do astronomers measure the size of a planet they cannot see?
By the shadow it casts. When a planet crosses its star it blocks a share of the light equal to the ratio of their areas, so an Earth-sized planet crossing a Sun-like star dims it by about one part in twelve thousand. The star's own size has to be known first, and that is where most of the uncertainty comes from.
Keep exploring: all records · the smallest planet known · the most Earth-like worlds, ranked