What is the nearest planet in the habitable zone?
The nearest planet in its star's habitable zone is Proxima Cen b, 4.2 ly from Earth: close enough that a telescope now being built could try to read its atmosphere. Everything about Proxima Cen b →
| # | World | Distance | Earth Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ 1 | Proxima Cen b | 4.2 ly | 0.89 |
| 2 | GJ 887 d | 10.7 ly | 0.76 |
| 3 | Ross 128 b | 11.0 ly | 0.87 |
| 4 | GJ 1061 c | 12.0 ly | 0.84 |
| 5 | GJ 1061 d | 12.0 ly | 0.93 |
| 6 | Teegarden's Star b | 12.5 ly | 0.94 |
| 7 | Teegarden's Star c | 12.5 ly | 0.86 |
| 8 | Wolf 1061 c | 14.0 ly | 0.79 |
| 9 | GJ 687 b | 14.8 ly | 0.60 |
| 10 | GJ 876 b | 15.2 ly | 0.39 |
| 11 | GJ 876 c | 15.2 ly | 0.37 |
| 12 | GJ 1002 b | 15.8 ly | 0.93 |
| 13 | GJ 1002 c | 15.8 ly | 0.76 |
| 14 | GJ 682 b | 16.3 ly | 0.79 |
| 15 | GJ 251 c | 18.2 ly | 0.77 |
| 16 | HD 180617 b | 19.3 ly | 0.56 |
| 17 | GJ 273 b | 19.3 ly | 0.83 |
| 18 | HD 20794 f | 19.6 ly | 0.70 |
| 19 | HN Lib b | 20.4 ly | 0.76 |
| 20 | Gl 725 B c | 22.3 ly | 0.78 |
| 21 | GJ 667 C c | 23.6 ly | – |
| 22 | GJ 514 b | 24.8 ly | 0.69 |
| 23 | GJ 3378 b | 25.2 ly | 0.91 |
| 24 | Gliese 48 b | 26.9 ly | 0.71 |
| 25 | GJ 433 d | 29.6 ly | 0.76 |
Showing the top 25 of 278 that qualify.
The habitable zone is the range of orbits where a planet with an atmosphere could hold liquid water on its surface, computed here from each star's measured temperature and luminosity using the Kopparapu boundaries. It is a statement about a planet's distance from its star and nothing more: it does not say a world has water, air, or a surface you would want to stand on.
Distance is the host star's parallax distance, one of the few numbers in astronomy measured by simple geometry. Both are worth keeping separate in your head. A planet can be perfectly placed and still be a lifeless rock, and the nearest one being a few light-years away is what makes it a target for the next generation of telescopes rather than a curiosity.
What is the nearest planet in the habitable zone?
The nearest planet in its star's habitable zone is Proxima Cen b, 4.2 ly from Earth: close enough that a telescope now being built could try to read its atmosphere.
Does being in the habitable zone mean a planet is habitable?
No. It means the planet receives roughly the right amount of starlight for liquid water to be possible if the planet has an atmosphere that can hold it. Venus sits at the inner edge of the Sun's habitable zone and has a surface hot enough to melt lead.
How far away is the nearest habitable-zone planet?
Proxima Cen b is 4.2 ly away. That sounds close only by cosmic standards: with today's fastest spacecraft the trip would take tens of thousands of years.
Which nearby habitable-zone world is the most Earth-like?
Similarity is scored here by the Earth Similarity Index, which compares a planet's size and temperature with our own. The nearest world is not automatically the most similar one, which is why this table shows both numbers side by side.
Keep exploring: all records · what the habitable zone is · the most Earth-like worlds, ranked