Corot satellite. Computer artwork of the Corot (COnvection, ROtation and Transits) satellite in orbit around Earth. This satellite will study the oscillations in the bodies of stars. This is being done to learn more about the structure of stars, providing valuable information on their mass, age and magnetic fields. Corot will also hunt for extrasolar planets, which it will find by observing the dip in a star's brightness during a transit (the passage of a planet in front of its star). It will have a 27-centimetre diameter telescope attached to CCD (charge-coupled device) cameras to measure the brightness of stars. It is hoped Corot will be launched in 2004.