TESS

Definition

TESS, or the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, is a space telescope launched by NASA in 2018 to search for exoplanets, particularly those that may harbor life. By monitoring the brightness of stars and detecting the slight dips in light caused by orbiting planets, TESS aims to identify potentially habitable worlds and contribute to the ongoing search for extraterrestrial intelligence and biosignatures.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. TESS is designed to survey a wide area of the sky, focusing on nearby stars to find exoplanets that are easier to study with follow-up observations.
2. The satellite uses a method called the transit photometry technique, measuring changes in star brightness to infer the presence of planets.
3. TESS has a goal of finding thousands of exoplanets, including many that are Earth-sized or larger within the habitable zone of their stars.
4. It operates using four wide-field cameras that capture large portions of the sky over two-year observation cycles.
5. The data collected by TESS is made publicly available, enabling researchers around the world to analyze and confirm new discoveries.

Review Questions

• How does TESS contribute to our understanding of potentially habitable exoplanets?
  • TESS plays a crucial role in identifying potentially habitable exoplanets by surveying large areas of the sky and detecting transits of planets across their host stars. This information allows scientists to determine the size and orbit of these planets, particularly those located within the habitable zone where conditions may be suitable for life. By focusing on nearby stars, TESS increases the chances of finding exoplanets that can be studied in greater detail by other telescopes.
• Discuss the significance of TESS's discoveries in relation to biosignature research.
  • The discoveries made by TESS are significant for biosignature research as they help identify potential targets for further study regarding the presence of life. By finding Earth-like planets in the habitable zone, researchers can focus on analyzing their atmospheres for biosignatures using future telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope. This connection between TESS findings and biosignature detection is essential for advancing our understanding of life beyond Earth.
• Evaluate how TESS's methodology enhances the search for extraterrestrial intelligence compared to previous missions like Kepler.
  • TESS enhances the search for extraterrestrial intelligence through its advanced methodology of surveying nearby stars with greater precision and broader coverage than previous missions like Kepler. While Kepler primarily focused on a single field of view, TESS's wide-field cameras allow it to monitor multiple sectors across the sky systematically. This means TESS can discover a larger number of potential exoplanets and particularly target those that are most likely to host life, thereby creating more opportunities for detecting biosignatures and ultimately informing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Related terms

Exoplanet: A planet that orbits a star outside our solar system, often studied to assess its potential for supporting life.

Biosignature: Any substance or feature that provides scientific evidence of past or present life, such as specific gases in a planet's atmosphere.

Kepler Space Telescope: A previous NASA mission that discovered thousands of exoplanets using a similar transit method before TESS.