<p>Well, this really does depend on what is considered an Earth-like planet. For instance, one could conclude that Venus is an Earth-like planet based off of them being similar in mass and also in regards to the similarities in radius. As for Earth-like moon, Titan would be a great candidate if located inside the so-called Goldilocks zone. </p>

<p>Counting planets outside our solar system, the nearest planet I could find was about 4.243 light-years away. Astronomers found it on August 24, 2016. It is a rocky planet in the habitable zone of its parent star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth. The name of the planet is Proxima b, this planet is approximately  1.3 times the mass of Earth and possesses an orbital period of roughly 11.2 Earth days.</p>

<p>However, since Proxima Centauri is classified as a red dwarf this casts reasonable doubts on whether Proxima b is habitable. To be habitable Proxima b would have to deal with low stellar flux, which causes a high probability of tidal locking, and high stellar variation.</p>

<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nearest_exoplanets" rel="nofollow noreferrer">List of nearest planets</a></p>

<p><a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/301/10-things-about-our-solar-systems-most-marvelous-moons/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">List of possible habitable moons</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T18:55:07.187Z
Did you mean 12 light years away or was that a typo.  The distance to Proxima Centauri is about 4.2 light years.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri
irchans
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T18:56:01.837Z
Your right, don't know what I was thinking. Thank you for letting me know about that!!!
Kolby L
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T18:45:25.547Z
2019-01-29T22:16:14.040Z
2019-01-29T22:16:14.040Z
Kolby L
<p>What’s the closest earth like planet or moon to earth we have discovered in our galaxy? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-28T08:34:27.027Z
Up to the person answering to define what they consider to be earth like.
Tikkaty
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-29T00:16:11.477Z
Agreed, this needs clarification. It can be Earth-like radius (easiest to measure), Earth-like mass (much harder) or average temperature (often impossible to determine in detail, as it needs details of the atmosphere)
astrosnapper
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-30T05:50:36.667Z
@Tikkaty "Up to the person answering to define what they consider to be earth like." That's not how Stack Exchange works. The question should be clear about it. It's okay to leave some flexibility in the details, but earth-like is the core concept in your one-sentence question. You can't ask for the answer to define the question. I'm voting to close as *unclear what you're asking* as well. Why not find an accepted definition for Earth-like, add the definition to your question and include a link. That way if an answer is posted, it will be unambiguous and clear to voters if it's right or wrong.
uhoh
<exoplanet><milky-way><earth-like-planet>
What’s the closest earth like planet we have discovered in our galaxy?
Tikkaty
# What’s the closest earth like planet we have discovered in our galaxy?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-28)

What’s the closest earth like planet or moon to earth we have discovered in our galaxy?

**Tags:** exoplanet, milky-way, earth-like-planet

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Up to the person answering to define what they consider to be earth like.  
> **username_1**: Agreed, this needs clarification. It can be Earth-like radius (easiest to measure), Earth-like mass (much harder) or average temperature (often impossible to determine in detail, as it needs details of the atmosphere)  
> **username_2**: @username_0 "Up to the person answering to define what they consider to be earth like." That's not how Stack Exchange works. The question should be clear about it. It's okay to leave some flexibility in the details, but earth-like is the core concept in your one-sentence question. You can't ask for the answer to define the question. I'm voting to close as *unclear what you're asking* as well. Why not find an accepted definition for Earth-like, add the definition to your question and include a link. That way if an answer is posted, it will be unambiguous and clear to voters if it's right or wrong.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-01-29. Score: 1

Well, this really does depend on what is considered an Earth-like planet. For instance, one could conclude that Venus is an Earth-like planet based off of them being similar in mass and also in regards to the similarities in radius. As for Earth-like moon, Titan would be a great candidate if located inside the so-called Goldilocks zone.

Counting planets outside our solar system, the nearest planet I could find was about 4.243 light-years away. Astronomers found it on August 24, 2016. It is a rocky planet in the habitable zone of its parent star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to Earth. The name of the planet is Proxima b, this planet is approximately 1.3 times the mass of Earth and possesses an orbital period of roughly 11.2 Earth days.

However, since Proxima Centauri is classified as a red dwarf this casts reasonable doubts on whether Proxima b is habitable. To be habitable Proxima b would have to deal with low stellar flux, which causes a high probability of tidal locking, and high stellar variation.

[List of nearest planets](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nearest_exoplanets)

[List of possible habitable moons](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/301/10-things-about-our-solar-systems-most-marvelous-moons/)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Did you mean 12 light years away or was that a typo.  The distance to Proxima Centauri is about 4.2 light years.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri  
> **username_3**: Your right, don't know what I was thinking. Thank you for letting me know about that!!!  

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