Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has been used to study eclipsing binary star systems to detect gravitational signals that may indicate planets beyond our solar system. By analyzing changes in the timing of mutual eclipses between binary stars, researchers identified 27 candidate exoplanets awaiting confirmation. This method enables the discovery of planets that may not transit their host stars from Earth's perspective, expanding the range of detectable worlds.
TESS has confirmed 885 exoplanets and identified more than 7,900 candidates, primarily by detecting drops in star brightness as planets transit in front of them. However, mutual eclipses in binary star systems provide a different signal, revealing planets through their gravitational pull on eclipse timings.
The study analyzed 1,590 eclipsing binaries with at least two years of TESS data. Various forces, including tidal and rotational interactions, general relativity, and the presence of planets, cause the binary stars’ orbital plane to precess, altering eclipse timing. Careful measurement of these variations allows detection of planets in such complex systems. According to the researchers, examining the orientation and dynamics of planetary orbits relative to host stars can advance understanding of planet formation in binary systems.
The findings were published on May 4 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The research was led by Margo Thornton, a doctoral candidate at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, with co-author Benjamin Montet, Scientia associate professor at UNSW Sydney.