CoRoT-9 b

CoRoT- 9b is an exoplanet, which accompanies some 1,500 light-years away from Earth the Sun-like star CoRoT -9 in the constellation of the Serpent.

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The exoplanet is a gas giant with a similar extent as Jupiter and is expected to consist mainly of hydrogen and helium. The climate of the planet is in comparison to most other exoplanets found so far as a relatively moderate viewed ( between -20 and 160 degrees Celsius ), but is expected to life as we know it from the earth be impossible there, as it comes to be a gas planet is. The exoplanet orbits its host star in about the same distance as the planet Mercury and the sun needed for a circumnavigation of the central star 95 Earth days. Given the fact that most of the previously known so-called hot Jupiters orbit their central star in an extremely short distance and therefore need a few days for an orbit, the observed in CoRoT -9 b orbital period is very long.

Another special feature of Corot - 9b is that he passes out of line of sight of the ground directly in front of its star, which enabled its discovery by the transit method. The discovery was made by the research satellite COROT. This allows for the first time the spectroscopic study of the atmosphere of an exoplanet of this kind, which is why this planet was also referred to as Rosetta Stone for planetary exploration.