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. Artist's view of COROT, the exoplanet hunter mission led by CNES, with ESA participation. Launched in December 2006, COROT is placed on a circular, polar orbit around Earth that allow for continuous observations of two large and opposite regions in the sky for more than 150 days each. Within each region there are many selected fields that will be monitored in turn. The reason for the oppositely sited regions is that, because of the Earth's movement around the Sun, the sun's rays start to interfere with the observations after 150 days. COROT then rotates by 180 degrees and start observing the other region