An artist's impression of the COROT satellite, set to launch on Dec. 27. COROT will use its telescope to monitor closely the changes in a star’s brightness that comes from a planet crossing in front of it. While it is looking at a star, COROT will also be able to detect ‘starquakes’, acoustical waves generated deep inside a star that send ripples across a star’s surface, altering its brightness. Credit: CNES 2006 - D. Ducros
