A Snapshot Of Earth's Exoplanet Neighbors [Infographic]
Our Neighborhood xkcd There may be more Earth-like planets outside of our solar system than we once thought, but as this infographic from the great webcomic xkcd shows, we're still outnumbered by plenty--and plenty bigger--planets. The infographic shows all exoplanets within 60 light years of Earth that sit in a habitable, or "Goldilocks" zone: not too close, and too far from a star. In other words, just the right distance to support liquid water. All of the planets are organized by approximate size, with Earth placed in the center for a sense of scale. What the infographic doesn't give is a sense of distance or position. Obviously, Earth doesn't have a nice little square of space cut out around it, and the actual distance between these exoplanets is absurdly huge. It provides the what, not the where. This might also provide a litmus test for...