CoRoT-2b (formerly known asCoRoT-Exo-2b[4]) is the secondextrasolar planet to be detected by the French-ledCoRoT mission, and orbits the starCoRoT-2 at a distance of 700light years fromEarth towards the constellationAquila. Its discovery was announced on 20 December 2007.[5] After its discovery via thetransit method, its mass was confirmed via the radial velocity method.
The radial velocity trend of CoRoT-2, caused by the presence of CoRoT-2 b.
The planet is a largehot Jupiter, about 1.43 times the radius ofJupiter and approximately 3.3 times as massive. Its huge size is due to the intense heating from its parent star, which causes the outer layers of its atmosphere to bloat. The extremely large radius of the planet indicates that CoRoT-2b is very hot, estimated to be around 1500 K, even hotter than would be expected given its location close to its parent star. This fact may be a sign oftidal heating due to interactions with another planet.[6] At Jupiter-like distances its radius would roughly be the same as Jupiter.[7] The complete phase curve of this planet has been observed.[8]
CoRoT-2b orbits its star approximately once every 1.7 days, and orbits the star in aprograde direction close to the star'sequator.[9] Its parent star is aG-type star, a bit cooler than theSun but moreactive. It is located about 800light-years from Earth.
As of 2008, the CoRoT-2b spin-orbit angle (that is, the angle between theequator of the star and the plane of the planetorbit) was calculated by Bouchyet al. by means of theRossiter–McLaughlin effect[10] with a value of +7.2 ± 4.5 °.[9] The spin-orbit angle was revised in 2012 to 4.0+5.9 −6.1°.[11]
^Albrecht, Simon; Winn, Joshua N.; Johnson, John A.; Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W.; Butler, R. Paul; Arriagada, Pamela; Crane, Jeffrey D.; Shectman, Stephen A.; Thompson, Ian B.; Hirano, Teruyuki; Bakos, Gaspar; Hartman, Joel D. (2012), "Obliquities of Hot Jupiter Host Stars: Evidence for Tidal Interactions and Primordial Misalignments",The Astrophysical Journal,757 (1): 18,arXiv:1206.6105,Bibcode:2012ApJ...757...18A,doi:10.1088/0004-637X/757/1/18,S2CID17174530
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