A NASA space telescope launched in 2018 to survey nearly the entire sky for exoplanets by detecting the tiny, periodic dimming of a star as a planet passes in front of it. Following on from the Kepler mission's deep but narrow survey, TESS instead scans broad swaths of nearby, bright stars, identifying targets for detailed follow-up study.
Facts
Observatory Type LocationHigh Earth, lunar resonant P/2 orbit with a period half that of the Moon's orbital period 2 MeasuresDips in the visible light of stars caused by transiting exoplanets 3 Operating PrincipleDetects repetitive periodic dips in a star's brightness that reveal an orbiting planet 3 Classification
Observing Band Connections
Associated With
Operated By
MIT is the science-operations partner, not a matching agency entity in this atlas.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), NASA Science
Mission facts sidebar, Type field
Space telescope
Mission facts sidebar, Wavelength field
Visible light
View the Source2. New Explorer Mission Chooses the Just Right Orbit, NASA Goddard
Orbit description sectionQuote, Orbit description section
This high-Earth, highly elliptical orbit has a period half that of the Moon's orbital period
3. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, NASA
Launch section
April 18, 2018
Transit method section, paragraph 1
The transit method of detecting exoplanets looks for dips in the visible light of stars
Transit method section, paragraph 2
Repetitive, periodic dips can reveal a planet or planets orbiting a star.
View the SourceWikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationOperated By: NASA, Transiting Exoplanet Survey SatelliteQuote, Operated By: NASA, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Operator: NASA / MIT
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