CoRoT-16 b
Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization
CoRoT-16 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star CoRoT-16, located approximately 2388.8 light-years (732.41 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2011 by CoRoT using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 1.0201% across the stellar disk), this world measures 13.11 Earth radii (1.17 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 170.032 Earth masses (0.53 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 0.42 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 0.99 g⊕ (9.71 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 40.3 km/s.
In its orbital architecture around CoRoT-16, CoRoT-16 b completes one full revolution every 5.352 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.0618 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 125.6 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The planet follows a highly eccentric trajectory (e = 0.33, swinging from 0.0414 AU at periapsis out to 0.0822 AU at apoapsis), pointing to past dynamical scattering or secular gravitational perturbations.
⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 1196 K (+923°C / +1693°F) and receiving 96.18 S⊕ (~130,895 W/m²), CoRoT-16 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.
The host star CoRoT-16 is classified as a solar-type yellow star of spectral type G5 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,650 K, a radius of 1.19 R☉, a mass of 1.098 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 1.295 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 6.73 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.19 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, CoRoT-16 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 16.052 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Southern celestial hemisphere.
Methodology: Computed using the Schulze-Makuch et al. (2011) weighted metric comparing physical interior (radius, estimated density) and surface thermal regime (escape velocity, equilibrium temperature).
Discovery Facility: CoRoT · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).
☀️ Host Star Telemetry
| Host Star Name | CoRoT-16 |
| Spectral Type | G5 V |
| Effective Temp (Teff) | 5,650 K |
| Stellar Radius | 1.1900 R☉ |
| Stellar Mass | 1.0980 M☉ |
| Bolometric Luminosity | 1.295 L☉ |
| Metallicity [Fe/H] | 0.190 dex |
| Stellar Age | 6.730 Gyr |
| Apparent Magnitude | V: 16.052 · G: 15.651 |
| System Architecture | 1 Star, 1 Planet |
🪐 Orbital & Physical Dynamics
| Semi-Major Axis (a) | 0.061800 AU |
| Orbital Period | 5.352 days |
| Mean Orbital Velocity | 125.6 km/s |
| Orbital Eccentricity (e) | 0.33000 |
| Orbital Inclination (i) | 85.0100° |
| Mean Bulk Density | 0.42 g/cm³ (40.3 km/s vesc) |
| Insolation Flux | 96.1756 S⊕ (~130,895 W/m²) |
| Habitable Zone Status | Exterior / Non-HZ |
| Celestial Distance | 2388.800 LY (732.409 pc) |