CoRoT satellite locates first 'cool' exoplanet

by Stevie Smith - Mar 18 2010, 11:46

The ambitious and far-reaching CoRoT space mission, led by the French Space Agency (CNES), has this week uncovered CoRoT-9b, a new ‘cool exoplanet’ that’s believed to the first temperate planet similar to those located within Earth’s own solar system.

According to the official report, the newly discovered planet is around 1,500 light years from Earth in the constellation of Serpens (the snake). The planet consists of mostly helium and hydrogen, is roughly the size of Jupiter, and has a similar solar orbit to that of Mercury.

Significantly, it is also the first such exoplanet that can offer scientists vast amounts of information due to its cooler temperatures.

“This is the first transiting planet with a fairly moderate temperature, between –20 and 150 degrees Celsius,” explained lead report author Dr. Hans Deeg. “It is extremely valuable because we can measure its density, which reflects its internal structure and composition.”

The very first planet discovered by the CoRoT satellite was CoRoT-1b, a planetary body larger than Jupiter situated approximately 1,560 light years from Earth in the constellation of Monoceros.

The CoRoT satellite, which is the first spacecraft dedicated to the task of extrasolar detection, was launched on December 27 of 2006 via a Russian-made Soyuz carrier rocket.

The Convection, Rotation and Transits (CoRoT) exploration mission, although only supposed to run until mid 2009, has been extended through to 2013.

Full details regarding CoRoT-9b will be published in the March 18 edition of the scientific journal Nature.

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