Image: Scientific AmericanNASA’s exoplanet mission accidentally discovers a world it was never meant to find
• NASA's TESS satellite, launched in 2018 to detect exoplanets via the transit method (monitoring dips in stellar brightness), has accidentally discovered a distant world using an entirely different detection technique. • While the mission was specifically designed to find planets passing in front of stars, scientists realized the telescope was simultaneously collecting evidence for planets through an unexpected method. • This discovery is significant because it demonstrates that TESS can provide valuable astronomical data beyond its primary operational objective, expanding the scope of its scientific utility.
scientificamerican.com


