TESS: Exoplanet Hunter

New Exoplanet Discovery: TESS recently aided in the detection of a new “warm Jupiter” exoplanet located over 1,000 light years away. This highlights TESS’s ongoing contribution to finding new worlds.

TESS Mission: Launched in March 2018 by NASA, TESS is designed to discover thousands of exoplanets orbiting bright dwarf stars. Its primary goal is exoplanet detection and characterization.

Successor to Kepler: TESS follows in the footsteps of the Kepler space telescope, building on its legacy of exoplanet discovery. It continues the search for planets beyond our solar system.

Transit Method: TESS identifies exoplanets by monitoring the brightness of stars for periodic dips caused by planets transiting (passing in front of) the star. This method allows scientists to determine the planet’s diameter and orbital size.

Habitable Zone: TESS helps identify planets within the “habitable zone,” the region around a star where liquid water could exist, potentially supporting life. This informs the search for potentially habitable planets.

Extended Mission: While its primary two-year mission ended on July 4, 2020, TESS is now in an extended mission, continuing its exoplanet survey. This allows for further discoveries and a more complete understanding of planetary systems.

Planet Diversity: TESS is finding a variety of planets, from small, rocky worlds to gas giants, showcasing the diverse range of planetary systems in our galaxy. This contributes to a broader understanding of planet formation and evolution.

Primary Mission Completion: TESS completed its primary mission by imaging roughly 75% of the starry sky in a two-year survey. This large-scale survey has already yielded significant results.

66 New Exoplanets: During its primary mission, TESS discovered 66 new exoplanets. This demonstrates the mission’s success in finding new worlds.