TESS is preparing to search for target stars in the new catalog

TESS is preparing to search for target stars in the new catalog

The artistic vision of the TESS satellite. The device, launched in April 2018, is based on a catalog of target stars and their characteristics, which have just been specifically updated

The TESS satellite launched on April 18 has a main goal - to search for small transit exoplanets rotating around bright stars. The next two years the device will spend on photographic research. For 27.4 days at a time, TESS will cover a certain sky region, while its 64 million pixel camera takes pictures every 30 minutes, trying to find small dips in the starlight. These are signals about the passage of the planet. At the end of the term, TESS will turn to another part of the sky and repeat the procedure.

However, the satellite is not able to function blindly and needs an initial catalog of likely stars to understand exactly what to look for. The other successful mission of the space telescope, Kepler, also pushed away from the catalog. The TESS (TIC) input directory is not only used to select optimal targets, but also provides detailed characteristics of each object, which allows determining the stellar radii and other key facts about a possible exoplanetary system. Each TESS pixel sees a relatively small celestial region (20 seconds per side), so the catalog focuses on bright stars that are not subject to change. A group of astronomers undertook the compilation of a list of candidates who will identify priority stars with the possibility of transit. The catalog has been updated 6 times already, but the 7th is considered especially valuable. The complete list has 473 million sources. A special place is occupied by red dwarfs, around which it is much easier to find the worlds. There are also K-dwarfs and double objects. Success depends on the accuracy of the catalog, so astronomers are attentive to the update work.

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