Humanity right now is on the move to try and get humanity to the stars and beyond, and we're always looking for Earthlike planets to live on. But that begs the question, just how many of them are there? Join us as we explore that! 15. K2-18b
Let's start off with recent discoveries, the planet known as K2-18b is a planet that is rising through the ranks as a place where humanity might just be able to live one day. As long as other data about the planet holds up.
The reason that K2-18b is getting a lot of attention is because of a recent discovery by the Hubble Space Telescope in that there is water vapor on the planet in its atmosphere. This is very important as water on a planet is one of the first things that NASA and other space programs look for when it comes to habitable planets.
“This is the only planet right now that we know outside the solar system that has the correct temperature to support water, it has an atmosphere, and it has water in it—making this planet the best candidate for habitability that we know right now..
14. TeeGarden B and C
Found just 12.5 light years from Earth around the star known as TeeGarden, two planets have been noted by scientists to be potential candidates for habitation. Known as TeeGarden B and C, they have the right size, are within the habitable zone of their star, and more:
13. Proxima Centauri b
If we wish to talk pure distance, Proxima Centauri b is the closest possible Earth-like planet to us with a distance of just 4.2 light years from the planet.
However, despite the closeness of the planet, there is a major problem in that the star it circles is 10% the size of our own.
12. Kepler 186-f
The Kepler Space Telescope found this particular planet in 2010, Kelper 186-f is a planet that a certain scientist feels is the best bet for humanity overall in terms of living on other planets. Mainly because it's only 10% bigger than the Earth, and that it is within the habitable zone of its star, so that means that water could be on the planet.
11. Kepler-438B
Located 470 light years away from Earth, Kepler 438B is a long way away, but scientists still love this planet because it's so similar to Earth in many respects.
How exactly do you measure that? Well believe it or not, there's an "Earth Similarity Index
10. Kepler-452B
This planet was discovered in 2015 and upon observing the planet, the people who found it decided to name it "Super Earth".
9. COROT-7b
COROT-7b made a lot of waves when it was discovered back in 2009, mainly because it looked to be a terrestrial planet that could have a future for humanity. But it's also a reminder that just because something looks good doesn't always mean it has what you need.
In this case, while COROT-7b is only 1.58 times the size of Earth (which is pretty good size-wise), it's REALLY close to the sun. By that I mean it orbits its sun in 20 hours flat. As a result, the planet is unbearable hot.
Oh well, onwards and upwards, right?
8. Gliese-667CC
In our own solar system, Mars is said to be the place that is the likely spot where humanity will try and colonize first. But, out in space, about 23.6 light years away, there is actually a planet that looks a lot like Mars. So much so that it's called "Mars' Cousin". This is Gliese-667CC.
Now, ironically, while it's called Mars' Cousin, it's a planet that has an 86% Earth Similarity Index.
7. The "Seven Earths"
In February 2017 it was found that there might be 7 Earth-like planets in a place just outside our own galaxy. In fact, all seven planets inhabit one galaxy.
Finding one Earthlike planet is hard enough, yet, they seem to have found seven of these kinds of planets that are orbiting a dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1.
6. Gliese-581G
This planet here has another name, and one that's actually a bit cooler, Zarmina. Oh, and it's only 20 light years away from Earth. It was discovered in 2010 by Stephen Vogt.
5. Barnard’s Star b
Found in 2018, and located a mere 6 light years away from Earth (that's really close for the record), Barnard’s Star b is the 2nd-closest exoplanet to Earth right now.
4. Venus
Surprised? You shouldn't be, there's a reason that Venus is referred to as a "sister planet" to the Earth, as it's honestly not to far from what Earth is and what a habitable planet could be. However, as you hopefully know, Venus is also a cautionary tale of what could happen if we let the Greenhouse Effect takeover the planet.
3. Kepler-62F
Oh yeah, another Kepler planet, but also another "Super Earth", and was discovered in April of 2013. One of the biggest differences between Kepler-62F and other planets on this list is its star. Because the star that the planet orbits is actually 7 billion years old. In terms of star life, that's pretty long.
2. Kepler-22b
Found 600 light years from Earth, Kepler-22b is within the Habitable Zone of its star. As well as being twice the size of Earth, the yearly rotation is somewhat similar to our own at about 292 days.
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