CoRoT-7 b
Planet· orbits CoRoT-7
CoRoT-7 b — the FIRST exoplanet confirmed to be rocky (2009): a super-Earth of ~1.6 Earth radii and ~4.7 Earth masses with a real density (slightly denser than Earth). Orbiting in only 20.5 hours, its dayside sits near 1,750 K — hot enough to be a magma ocean; models indicate a possible rock-vapour atmosphere that condenses into mineral 'rain'. Never imaged.
Open in 3D viewSee CoRoT-7 b in the live, interactive 3D map
Key facts
Mass
2.82 × 10²⁵ kg
4.73 M⊕
Radius
10,098 km
1.58× wider than Earth
Surface gravity
18.5 m/s²
1.89× Earth's gravity
Year
20.5 hours
0.85 Earth days
Distance from CoRoT-7
2,544,660 km
Science
Physical
- Mass
- 2.82 × 10²⁵ kg · 4.73 M⊕
- Haywood et al. 2014 — radial velocity
- Radius
- 10,098 km · 1.58× wider than Earth
- Barros et al. 2014 — transit
- Density
- 6,549 kg/m³ · 6.5× water
- Computed from mass and radius
- Surface gravity
- 18.5 m/s² · 1.89× Earth's gravity
- Computed from mass and radius
- Escape velocity
- 19.3 km/s · 1.73× Earth's escape velocity
- Computed from mass and radius
Orbital
- Semi-major axis
- 2,544,660 km
- R: Barros et al. 2014; M: Haywood et al. 2014 (RV)
- Eccentricity
- 0
- R: Barros et al. 2014; M: Haywood et al. 2014 (RV)
- Inclination
- 0.00 °
- R: Barros et al. 2014; M: Haywood et al. 2014 (RV)
- Orbital period
- 20.49 hours
- R: Barros et al. 2014; M: Haywood et al. 2014 (RV)
- Perihelion
- 2,544,660 km
- Computed from the orbital elements
- Aphelion
- 2,544,660 km
- Computed from the orbital elements
- Mean orbital velocity
- 217 km/s
- Computed from the orbital elements
Composition
- Bulk composition
- A super-Earth of ~1.6 Earth radii and ~4.7 Earth masses with a genuinely measured density (slightly denser than Earth) — the FIRST exoplanet proven to be a solid, rocky body (2009) rather than a gas ball. Orbiting in 20.5 hours, its dayside is a likely magma ocean; some models predict a rock-vapour atmosphere that condenses into mineral 'rain'. The map shows a Visual-mode lava impression (artist's concept, dual-labelled); Realism shows a flat spectral colour. Never imaged.
- Surface appearance
- Appearance based on NASA/JPL-Caltech's artist's concept. No spacecraft has imaged this world, so its real appearance is unknown — The surface shown is an artistic representation, shown only in Visual mode; Realism shows a plain spectral colour.
Radiation & temperature
- Insolation
- 1,661 S⊕ · 1,661× the sunlight Earth receives
- Computed from CoRoT-7's luminosity and the orbital distance (inverse-square; Earth's sunlight = 1).
- Equilibrium temperature
- 1,756 K (1,483 °C)
- Computed model value for its 20.5-hour orbit — hot enough to melt rock; not measured.
Discovery & history
- Method
- Transit detection
- Name
- Designated 'b' under the IAU convention that letters a star's planets 'b', 'c'… in the order found (the star is the unwritten 'a'); no IAU proper name is assigned.
The CoRoT telescope caught its transit; radial-velocity mass in 2009 gave a rocky density — the first solid proof of a rocky world beyond the Solar System.
Images
Images from open archives · credit shown per image