TOP FIVE EARTHLIKE WORLDS

Kepler-438b

Announced as a confirmed exoplanet in 2015, this world has a radius 1.12 times that of Earth.

It rests in the habitable zone of its red dwarf – a star that’s cooler and smaller than our Sun – and astronomers believe that this planet is the most Earth-like to date.

Gliese 667Cc

Able to complete one lap around its parent star in just 28 days, Gliese 667C is a red dwarf that lies 22 light years away in the constellation of Scorpius. Gliese 667Cc isn’t the only planet that’s a member of this system. One of two confirmed worlds, this rocky super-Earth is at least 3.9 times more massive than Earth.

Kepler-442b

Discovered by Kepler, Kepler-442b orbits an orange dwarf star

1,120 light years from Earth. It completes its orbit in roughly 112 days and has a radius 1.3 times that of Earth. It is thought to have a comfortable temperature similar to that of our planet.

Kepler-62e

Astronomers believe that this exoplanet is a water world, a warm place that’s surface is dominated by liquid water. Kepler-62e lies some 1,200 light years away and takes 122 days to complete one lap around its red dwarf host.

Gliese 832c

This hefty world orbits a red dwarf star and weighs in at around 5.4 times the mass of Earth. It’s thought that on the whole this planet has a temperature similar to Earth. Yet with an orbit that sees the exoplanet swing in and out of the habitable zone,

Gliese 832c’s climate can vary.