Top 10 Star Systems with Earth-Like Exoplanets

What if we found out tomorrow that the Earth was doomed? Where would we go? Here are our best and nearest options, and how long it would take to get there at our current level of technology.

Key Takeaways

• The closest terrestrial exoplanet is located around Proxima Centauri, approximately 4.2 light years away, and has an Earth Similarity Index (ESI) of 0.86—Earth is equal to 1.0—but it would take 7,135 years to get there at our current level of technology.
• The most Earth-like exoplanet within 101 light years is Teegarden's Star b, a super Earth (i.e. bigger than our planet) with an ESI of 0.97 and orbiting within the habitable zone of an M-type red dwarf star. It would, however, take over 20,000 years to get there.
• Assuming doomsday left our sun and the rest of the solar system intact, Mars (ESI=0.73) and Mercury (ESI=0.60), have the advantage of being nearby, but with no breathable atmospheres on either planet and average temperatures of 210 and 340 K (-63.15 and 66.85 °C /-81.67 and 152.33 °F), respectively, you'd better bring your spacesuit.