CoRoT has observed 3 carefully selected regions of the sky : an area in the direction of the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros) during 60 days followed by a short (26days) and a very long (150days) pointing in the opposite direction, in the constellation of the Snakes tail (Serpens Cauda).
CoRoT obtains light curves , i.e. it measures the light coming from a very large number of stars with unprecedented precision for a hitherto unheard length of time. During each set of observations more than 12000 light curves have been obtained, with almost uninterrupted data.
It is now clear that CoRoT will instigate a breakthrough in both of the fields of science that it applies to. The scientific impact of CoRoT relies on its three major characteristics never reached before for which the satellite fulfils and surpass its originals specifications : the precision with which the satellite is working, which is set by physical laws — not by the working of the instrument (the data are thus photon noise limited essentially over all magnitude ranges). the duration of the observations on the same star the continuity of these observations, which have almost no interruption over these very long periods.
And CoRoT finds that essentially every star it observes varies.
CoRoT is discovering exo-planets at a rate only set by the available resources to follow up the detections, CoRoT has detected solar type oscillations in solar type stars at a level so far unprecedented apart for observations of our own Sun, CoRoT is observing all kinds of activity on a large domain of frequencies from multi-mode oscillations, signature of erratic superficial motions, to the signature of differential rotation as seen by the different periods of the passage of sunspots at different latitudes.
This is demonstrated by this example. The data here cover 120 days of uninterrupted observation. It is important to note that what is presented here is raw data (so-called N0 data), and that further refinements will follow shortly.

The scientific interpretation of these data will be very soon presented in several papers being prepared for peer reviewed journals.
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Contact
- Annie Baglin
(Observatoire de Paris, LESIA, et CNRS)