The COROT space probe, a joint ESA / CNES project launched in December, 2006, is observing the stars for small, rocky, Earthlike exoplanets. In that search, it has found an interesting anomaly, a space body less than twice the radius of Earth, but with 20 Jupiter masses. That makes it about twice as dense as Platinum. What makes this planet interesting is that it also exhibits some stellar characteristics.
Discovery - A Mystery Object That Could Be The ‘Missing Link’ Between Stars And Planets
21 May 2008
Two new exoplanets mean that the COROT mission(1) has now found a total of four new exoplanets in its 510 day journey. COROT started observations of its sixth star field at the beginning of May and, during this observation phase which will last 5 months, will simultaneously observe 12,000 stars.
The two new planets are gas giants of the hot Jupiter type, which orbit very close to their parent star and tend to have extensive atmospheres because heat from the nearby star gives them energy to expand. But an oddity dubbed ‘COROT-exo-3b’ has raised particular interest among astronomers. It appears to be something between a brown dwarf, a sub-stellar object without nuclear fusion at its core but with some stellar characteristics, and a planet. Its radius is too small for it to be a super-planet.
While such a planet might not have all the comforts of home, this discovery promises greater future success in finding just the right new home for humanity. It bears continued watching.
Catch you on the backside!
Janice Manning
