CoRoT-7b
Size comparison of CoRoT-7b (center) with Earth (left) and Neptune (right) | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Rouan et al. (CoRoT) |
| Discovery site | Polar orbit |
| Discovery date | February 3, 2009 |
| Transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.0172 ± 0.00029 AU (2.573 ± 0.043 million km; 1.599 ± 0.027 million mi) | |
| Eccentricity | 0 |
| 0.853585 ± 0.000024 d (20.48604 ± 0.00058 h) | |
| Inclination | 80.1 ± 0.3 |
| Star | CoRoT-7 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.528±0.065 R🜨 | |
| Mass | 6.06±0.65ME |
| Temperature | 1,300–1,800 K (1,030–1,530 °C; 1,880–2,780 °F) |
CoRoT-7b (previously named CoRoT-Exo-7b) is an exoplanet orbiting the star CoRoT-7 in the constellation of Monoceros, 489 light-years (150 parsecs) from Earth. It was first detected photometrically by the French-led CoRoT mission and reported in February 2009. Until the announcement of Kepler-10b in January 2011, it was the smallest exoplanet to have its diameter measured, at 1.58 times that of the Earth (which would give it a volume 3.95 times Earth's) and the first potential extrasolar terrestrial planet to be found. The exoplanet has a very short orbital period, revolving around its host star in about 20 hours.
Combination of the planet's diameter derived from transit data with the planet's mass derived from radial velocity measurements means that the density of CoRoT-7b is about the same as that of Earth; therefore, CoRoT-7b is a terrestrial planet like Earth and not a gas giant like Jupiter. The radial velocity observations of CoRoT-7 also detected a second super-Earth, CoRoT-7c, which has a mass 8.4 times that of Earth and orbits every 3.7 days at a distance of 6.9 million km (0.046 AU; 4.3 million mi).