CoRoT-10 b
CoRoT-10 b is a cold gas giant orbiting the K1 V star CoRoT-10 in the constellation Aquila. It lies about 1,104 light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2010 using the transit method.
How Big Is CoRoT-10 b?
CoRoT-10 b has a radius of 10.87 times that of Earth, or 0.97 times the radius of Jupiter. Its mass is 874 times that of Earth, giving it a density of 3.70 g/cm³ — between that of rocky and gaseous planets.
Is CoRoT-10 b in the Habitable Zone?
CoRoT-10 b orbits inside the inner edge of the habitable zone of CoRoT-10. So close to its star, surface conditions are far too hot for liquid water.
Habitable zone of CoRoT-10: 0.476–1.147 AU (conservative: 0.602–1.087 AU), per Kopparapu et al. (2014). Earth orbits the Sun at 1 AU.
See the full interactive habitable-zone view in the Exoplanet Explorer app ›
Temperature on CoRoT-10 b
The equilibrium temperature of CoRoT-10 b is about 600 K (327 °C) — hotter than anywhere on Earth. This estimate ignores any atmosphere, which could change surface temperatures dramatically — Earth's greenhouse effect adds about 33 °C.
Orbit and Year Length
A year on CoRoT-10 b — one full orbit around CoRoT-10 — lasts 13.2 Earth days, shorter than Mercury's 88-day year. It orbits at an average distance of 0.106 AU — closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical (eccentricity 0.53), swinging dramatically closer to and farther from its star.
How Was CoRoT-10 b Discovered?
CoRoT-10 b was discovered in 2010 using the transit method, with observations from CoRoT.
The transit method watches a star for the tiny, regular dip in brightness that occurs when a planet crosses in front of it. The depth and timing of these dips reveal the planet's size and orbital period.
How Far Away Is CoRoT-10 b?
CoRoT-10 b is 1,103.7 light-years (338.4 parsecs) from Earth. Light arriving here tonight left the planet about 1,104 years ago. A probe traveling at the speed of Voyager 1 — about 17 km/s, the fastest outbound spacecraft ever launched — would need roughly 19,425,120 years to make the journey.
Earth Similarity Index
The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) scores how physically similar a planet is to Earth, from 0 to 1, based on radius, density, escape velocity and surface temperature. CoRoT-10 b scores 0.13, ranking #4,282 of 5,568 planets with a known ESI. For reference, Mars scores about 0.70.
The Host Star: CoRoT-10
CoRoT-10
- Spectral type
- K1 V
- Surface temperature
- 5,075 K (Sun: 5,772 K)
- Mass
- 0.89 M☉
- Radius
- 0.79 R☉
- Age
- 3.0 billion years (Sun: 4.6)
Planetary System
CoRoT-10 b is the only planet known to orbit CoRoT-10 so far.
CoRoT-10 b — Complete Data
| Radius | 10.870 Earth radii (0.970 Jupiter radii) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 874.00 Earth masses (2.750 Jupiter masses) |
| Density | 3.70 g/cm³ (Earth: 5.51) |
| Orbital period | 13.24 days |
| Orbital distance | 0.106 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.530 |
| Equilibrium temperature | 600 K (327 °C) |
| Earth Similarity Index | 0.13 |
| Distance from Earth | 1,103.7 light-years (338.4 parsecs) |
| Constellation | Aquila |
| Discovery method | Transit |
| Discovery facility | CoRoT |
| Discovery year | 2010 |
Data: NASA Exoplanet Archive, last updated 2014-05-14. Earth Similarity Index: PHL @ UPR Arecibo.
Frequently Asked Questions About CoRoT-10 b
Is CoRoT-10 b habitable?
No — CoRoT-10 b orbits too close to its star and is too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface.
How far away is CoRoT-10 b?
CoRoT-10 b is about 1,104 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquila. A spacecraft traveling as fast as Voyager 1 (about 17 km/s) would need roughly 19,425,120 years to get there.
How big is CoRoT-10 b compared to Earth?
CoRoT-10 b has 10.87 times the radius of Earth and about 874 times its mass.
How long is a year on CoRoT-10 b?
One orbit around CoRoT-10 takes 13.2 Earth days — short enough that 28 of its years would fit into one Earth year.