Figure iv: Transiting planets, size in Earth radii vs. distance from Earth in parsecs. A parsec is equal to about 3.26 light-years (or 19 trillion miles). The black and blue circles are known planets. The larger the circle, the larger the planet detection signal. The anticipated TESS discoveries (yellow circles) should number in the thousands, with a substantial subset of them close in distance to Earth. The planets and stars closest to Earth are brightest and most favorable for followup mass measurements and atmosphere studies. (Courtesy of Zach Berta-Thompson)
