CoRoT-7 and Its Three Worlds

CoRoT-7 is a G9 V star, a Sun-like main-sequence dwarf, located 522 light-years away. The star has a mass of 0.93 solar masses and a radius of 0.87 solar radii, both estimates smaller than the Sun's corresponding values. Its temperature is 5280 K, cooler than the Sun's. The star is 1.75 billion years old. Three planets orbit this host.

All three planets were detected through radial velocity measurements of the star's wobble, except CoRoT-7 b, which was found by transit. CoRoT-7 b is a Super-Earth discovered in 2009, with a mass of 4.08 Earth masses and a radius of 1.68 Earth radii. Its orbital period is 0.854 days, and its mean density is 4.73 g/cm³, 0.858 times Earth's. Among the listed planets, CoRoT-7 b has the shortest year and the smallest reported mass. CoRoT-7 c, also found in 2009, has a mass of 8.4 Earth masses and an orbital period of 3.7 days. Among the listed planets, it has the second-shortest year and the second-smallest reported mass. CoRoT-7 d, discovered in 2022, has a mass of 17.1 Earth masses and an orbital period of 8.97 days. Among the listed planets, it has the longest year and the largest reported mass. The reported masses of CoRoT-7 b, CoRoT-7 c, and CoRoT-7 d are all larger than Earth's, and CoRoT-7 b's reported radius estimate is also larger than Earth's.