Astronomers examining data from TESS recently encountered something strange. An object named TIC 400799224 fluctuated in brightness like a routinely eclipsed star. Analysis of the observations shows that the object is actually two stars orbiting a mysterious object.
Researchers suspected that a large asteroid or a minor planet was releasing dust clouds that dimmed the starlight from TESS’s viewpoint. Launched in 2018, TESS was tasked with finding exoplanets beyond our solar system that pass in front of their host stars causing perceptible dips in the star’s brightness.
TESS discovered 172 exoplanets
TESS has discovered 172 exoplanets so far. Currently there are 4,703 candidate exoplanets, awaiting further analysis. These alien worlds help scientists understand the demographics of the universe and the diversity of planets that exist.
TIC 400499224 looks like a stellar binary or two stars orbiting each other. According to a newspaper, the stars are thought to be about 300 AU from each other, with 1 AU being the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. The research team still wasn’t sure which star was hosting the mysterious object that caused the brightness dips.
Blackout occurs approximately every 19.77 days. But the length, density and shape of the falls vary. What makes the object particularly odd is that the suspected dust clouds were larger than researchers expected, assuming that the clouds were due to the object’s disintegration over time.
Apart from TIC 400499224, suspicious disintegrating objects were also found. Researchers will continue to study the system and examine historical records of the object’s brightness in hopes of better understanding what’s going on out there.
What do you guys think about interesting events taking place in space? Do not forget to share your ideas with us in the comments section!
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