14 Planets and Moons That Scientists Believe Could Support Life
For generations, humans have gazed at the stars wondering if we’re alone in the universe. With modern telescopes and space missions, scientists now know that potentially habitable worlds exist beyond Earth, places where the fundamental conditions for life as we know it might be present.
Here is a list of 14 planets and moons that astronomers and astrobiologists consider the most promising candidates for harboring life, from familiar neighbors in our solar system to distant exoplanets circling alien stars.
Proxima Centauri b
Our nearest stellar neighbor hosts this rocky planet just 4.2 light years from Earth, discovered in 2016 and presenting tantalizing possibilities for potential habitability. Proxima Centauri b orbits within the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, completing an orbit every 11.2 Earth days while receiving similar sunlight levels to what Earth gets from our Sun.
The planet’s proximity makes it a prime target for future observation, though scientists worry its parent star’s frequent powerful flares might strip away any atmosphere, potentially creating challenging conditions for life.
TRAPPIST-1 e
This Earth-sized world belongs to an extraordinary system of seven planets orbiting a tiny, cool star just 39 light years away. TRAPPIST-1 e stands out among its siblings by residing squarely in the habitable zone, with models suggesting it could maintain liquid water on its surface.
Researchers believe this planet might be tidally locked, with one side permanently facing its star, creating a terminator line where temperatures might be ideal for life to develop. The entire TRAPPIST system represents one of astronomy’s most exciting discoveries, offering multiple potentially habitable worlds around a single star.
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Europa
Jupiter’s icy moon harbors a vast subsurface ocean containing more water than all Earth’s oceans combined, hidden beneath a cracked frozen surface. Gravitational interactions with massive Jupiter create tidal heating that maintains this liquid ocean despite Europa’s distance from the Sun.
NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper mission will investigate the moon’s potential habitability, with particular interest in plumes of water vapor that occasionally erupt through its icy crust. These geysers potentially provide direct samples of the subsurface ocean where microbial life could potentially thrive near hydrothermal vents.
Enceladus
Saturn’s small moon stunned scientists when the Cassini spacecraft discovered enormous geysers erupting from its south pole, confirming the presence of a global subsurface ocean. These dramatic plumes contain water vapor, ice particles, salts, and even complex organic compounds necessary for life as we know it.
Hydrothermal activity appears to occur where the ocean meets the moon’s rocky core, creating environments remarkably similar to deep-sea vents on Earth where extreme microbial communities flourish. Enceladus represents a particularly accessible target for investigation since its plumes provide convenient samples without requiring landing or drilling through ice.
Titan
Saturn’s largest moon features a thick atmosphere, flowing rivers, and vast lakes – though composed of liquid methane and ethane rather than water. Titan remains the only world besides Earth with stable liquid on its surface, albeit at a frigid -290°F where water ice behaves like rock.
Scientists speculate about the possibility of methane-based life utilizing biochemistry different from Earth organisms, potentially making Titan a laboratory for understanding how life might develop under radically different conditions. NASA’s Dragonfly mission, launching in 2027, will explore this unique moon using a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to study its complex chemistry.
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Mars
Our planetary neighbor once had flowing rivers, standing lakes, and potentially even oceans during its ancient past billions of years ago. Evidence increasingly suggests Mars maintained habitable conditions for extended periods when microbial life could have emerged.
Current research focuses on subsurface regions where liquid water might still exist today, protected from harsh surface radiation and extreme temperatures. Missions like NASA’s Perseverance rover specifically target ancient river deltas and lakebeds where evidence of past or present microbial life might be preserved in Martian rocks.
K2-18 b
This mini-Neptune exoplanet made headlines in 2019 when astronomers detected water vapor in its atmosphere, the first such discovery for a potentially habitable world. Orbiting within its star’s habitable zone about 124 light years from Earth, K2-18 b has approximately eight times Earth’s mass.
While likely possessing a thick hydrogen-rich atmosphere unlike Earth’s, models suggest it could harbor a water ocean beneath its gassy exterior. This discovery demonstrated that potentially habitable conditions might exist on worlds quite different from our rocky planet, expanding our search parameters considerably.
Kepler-442 b
Astronomers consider this distant super-Earth one of the most Earth-like exoplanets discovered to date, with a 60% similarity rating on the Earth Similarity Index. Located approximately 1,200 light years away, Kepler-442 b orbits its orange dwarf star every 112 days, receiving about 70% of the light Earth gets from the Sun.
Its estimated equilibrium temperature and position in its star’s habitable zone make it among the most promising candidates for potentially supporting liquid water and Earth-like conditions. The planet likely has higher gravity than Earth due to its larger mass but remains within parameters considered suitable for life.
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TOI-700 d
NASA’s TESS satellite discovered this Earth-sized planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a small, cool star just 100 light years away. TOI-700 d orbits its red dwarf star every 37 days, receiving about 86% of the energy Earth receives from our Sun.
Unlike many planets around similar stars, TOI-700 d benefits from orbiting a relatively quiet red dwarf without frequent powerful flares that could strip away its atmosphere. Computer models suggest this world could sustain various climate configurations conducive to liquid water, making it an excellent candidate for future atmospheric studies.
Gliese 667C c
This super-Earth orbits within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star that forms part of a triple-star system just 22 light years from our solar system. Gliese 667C c receives about 90% of the light Earth gets from the Sun, though most arrive as infrared radiation rather than visible light.
The planet likely experiences gravitational tugs from the system’s other stars, potentially creating tidal heating that could enhance habitability. Astronomers particularly value this system due to its relative proximity to Earth, making detailed observations more feasible than for more distant candidates.
Ganymede
Jupiter’s largest moon holds the distinction of being the only moon in our solar system known to generate its own magnetic field, potentially shielding its surface from harmful radiation. Beneath its icy exterior lies a massive saltwater ocean containing more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined.
Recent evidence suggests this subsurface ocean may contain multiple layers, with the possibility of salt-rich liquid water in direct contact with the moon’s rocky core. These conditions potentially create habitable niches where the fundamental chemical ingredients and energy sources for life could exist.
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Teegarden’s Star b
This Earth-sized planet orbits one of our closest stellar neighbors, a tiny red dwarf just 12 light years away discovered surprisingly recently in 2003. Teegarden’s Star B receives nearly the same amount of stellar energy as Earth gets from the Sun, giving it a nearly identical equilibrium temperature according to models.
The planet likely experiences tidal locking, with one hemisphere always facing its star, creating permanent day and night sides. Its close proximity to Earth makes Teegarden’s Star b an exceptional target for future observations using next-generation telescopes that might detect atmospheric composition and potential biosignatures.
GJ 1132 b
Astronomers made the remarkable discovery that this rocky exoplanet appears to have regenerated a secondary atmosphere after losing its original one, demonstrating unexpected planetary resilience. Located just 41 light years away, GJ 1132 b orbits extremely close to its red dwarf star every 1.6 days, making its surface too hot for liquid water.
However, its ability to maintain or regenerate an atmosphere provides crucial insights into how habitable worlds might evolve and adapt to harsh conditions. This unexpected atmospheric behavior suggests habitable planets might exist in more diverse forms than previously imagined.
Callisto
Jupiter’s second-largest moon features the most heavily cratered surface in our solar system, essentially preserving a fossil record of the early solar system. Unlike Jupiter’s other large moons, Callisto experiences minimal tidal heating and lacks intensive geological activity.
Scientists believe Callisto may harbor a subsurface ocean similar to Europa’s, though deeper beneath its surface. The moon’s extreme stability and relative lack of radiation exposure compared to other Jovian satellites make it a potential haven where primitive life could develop undisturbed over billions of years, provided sufficient energy sources exist within its subsurface ocean.
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Beyond Our Cosmic Backyard
These fourteen worlds represent just the beginning of humanity’s search for potential life beyond Earth. With thousands of exoplanets now confirmed and new space telescopes specifically designed to study their atmospheres coming online, our catalog of potentially habitable worlds expands yearly.
The very definition of habitability continues evolving as scientists consider increasingly exotic biochemistries and survival mechanisms that might function under conditions quite different from Earth’s.
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