Goldilocks 45
MNRAS 2026In March 2026, Bohl et al. published a catalogue of 45 rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone — the most focused shortlist for biosignature searches ever assembled. Each was scored by Earth Similarity Index (ESI), habitable-zone flux, and observational accessibility for JWST. Click any planet to read its profile.
Catalogue size
45 planets
Filtered from thousands of confirmed exoplanets using Gaia DR3 + NASA Archives — only rocky worlds in the conservative habitable zone made the cut.
Published
March 2026
Bohl, Lawrence, Lowry & Kaltenegger, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 547, 2026.
Primary tool
JWST
Each entry ranked by JWST observational accessibility for atmospheric biosignatures: CO₂, O₂, CH₄, H₂O.
Nearest
4.24 ly
Proxima Centauri b — the closest potentially habitable exoplanet, and a candidate for future laser-sail probes.
17 highlighted candidates · x = ESI · y = proximity (log-scaled)
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45 planets
Source: Bohl, Lawrence, Lowry & Kaltenegger (2026). “Probing the limits of habitability: a catalogue of rocky exoplanets in the habitable zone.” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 547. ESI values are approximate and may differ from the published paper.