Satellite COROT - Artist's view of COROT - Artist's view of COROT - Artist's view...

Satellite COROT - Artist's view of COROT - Artist's view of COROT - Artist's view of the satellite COROT in space. Launched at the end of December 2006, this satellite studies the physical phenomena occurring inside the stars. It is also used for the detection of extrasolar planets by observing the periodic micro-eclipses that these planets cause by passing in front of their mother star. This artist's view shows the COROT satellite, consisting of a 30 - centimetre space telescope launched in late 2006. COROT uses 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 is also 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