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COROT overview

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Artist's view of a rocky, Earth-like exoplanet

This artist’s impression shows the surface of a possible exoplanet placed at exactly the right distance from its parent star for liquid water to exist on its surface.

Credits: ESA. Illustration by Medialab

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This artist's view shows the COROT satellite, consisting of a 30-centimetre space telescope to be launched in late 2006.

COROT will use its telescope to monitor closely the changes in a star’s brightness that comes from a planet crossing in front of it.

While it is looking at a star, COROT will also be able to detect ‘starquakes’, acoustical waves generated deep inside a star that send ripples across a star’s surface, altering its brightness. The exact nature of the ripples allows astronomers to calculate the star's precise mass, age and chemical composition.

Credits: CNES 2006 - D. Ducros

Last update: 8 May 2007

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COROT factsheet

How to find an extrasolar planet