CoRoT-8 b

Astrophysical Synthesis & Habitability Characterization

CoRoT-8 b is a confirmed gas giant exoplanet orbiting the star CoRoT-8, located approximately 1050.3 light-years (322.04 parsecs) from the Solar System. First announced in 2010 by CoRoT using the Transit detection technique (producing an estimated primary transit depth of 0.5788% across the stellar disk), this world measures 6.39 Earth radii (0.57 Jupiter radii) and has a measured mass of 69.92 Earth masses (0.22 Jupiter masses). Combining its mass and radius yields a mean bulk density of 1.48 g/cm³ (a low bulk density dominated by an extended hydrogen-helium gaseous envelope), a surface gravity of 1.71 g⊕ (16.77 m/s²), and an escape velocity of 37 km/s.

In its orbital architecture around CoRoT-8, CoRoT-8 b completes one full revolution every 6.212 Earth days at a semi-major axis of 0.063 AU (orbiting interior to Mercury's 0.387 AU benchmark in the Solar System). Its mean orbital velocity is approximately 110.3 km/s (compared to Earth's 29.8 km/s). The orbit is modeled as circular (e = 0.00), maintaining a constant stellar distance throughout its year.

⚠️ Thermal Regime (Irradiated / Hot Zone): At an equilibrium temperature of 870 K (+597°C / +1107°F) and receiving 19.82 S⊕ (~26,971 W/m²), CoRoT-8 b orbits interior to the runaway greenhouse boundary where surface liquid water cannot persist.

The host star CoRoT-8 is classified as an orange K-type star of spectral type K1 V with an effective photospheric temperature of 5,080 K, a radius of 0.77 R☉, a mass of 0.88 M☉, an estimated bolometric luminosity of 0.354 L☉. Stellar evolution modeling indicates an estimated stellar age of 3 Gyr and a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.3 dex (metal-rich relative to the Sun). From Earth, CoRoT-8 shines at apparent V-band magnitude 14.792 (faint and requiring research-grade or CCD telescopic photometry) in the Northern celestial hemisphere.

Discovery Facility: CoRoT · Catalogue Source: NASA Exoplanet Archive (IPAC / Caltech).