Star Vetter
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TIC 111149941

An uncatalogued eclipsing-binary candidate from TESS.

AmbiguousSurvivorP = 5.24009 d

Eclipsing-binary candidate: 5.2401-day period, a 0.08% primary eclipse, no significant secondary eclipse.

TIC 111149941 shows a 0.081% dip in TESS photometry, repeating every 5.2401 days (BLS signal-to-noise 10.2). No statistically significant secondary dip was detected. This pipeline's own automated cross-checks flag open questions about this candidate: The difference-image detection is strong (peak SNR 9.7, compactness 0.75) but the star's own simple-aperture photometry shows no dip, and aperture/quality-mask sensitivity tests were inconsistent. Confirmed by pixel imaging; not independently confirmed by simple photometry. Because of that, this should be read as an unverified candidate, not a confirmed eclipsing binary.

Primary eclipsetotal light 0.999
Surface brightness ratio
companion faint - no secondary eclipse
Companion temperature
below ~6,321 K
Companion / star radius
~0.08
Face hidden at primary eclipse
~1%
Separation
~5.2 x the star's radius
Eccentricity
consistent with circular

Zoomed: both stars drawn about 1x larger than their real size relative to the orbit, so they overlap for longer than the real eclipse lasts. A star's surface never gets dimmer during an eclipse - part of it is simply hidden. What drops is the total light we receive, shown exactly by the readout and bar below from the real light curve; the glow dims with it, exaggerated so small dips show. Colours follow temperature on a stellar colour scale, saturated so the differences show; the star's is its catalogue value (6,321 K). The companion's colour, sizes and orbit shape are estimates from the eclipse depths, duration and timing, assuming central eclipses and spherical stars - good to perhaps tens of percent. Only the relative orbit is shown; both stars really circle their common centre of mass. Animated about 18,864x faster than real on average, slowing down through each eclipse, and starting from where the system is in its orbit right now. Hover to pause.

  • Secondary2026-10-19 06:52 UTC
  • Primary2026-10-21 21:45 UTC
  • Secondary2026-10-24 12:37 UTC

Computed from the fitted ephemeris. Approximate - not corrected for your location or for light-travel time across Earth's orbit.

I

The signal

A repeating, consistent dip in brightness.

observed binned median residuals
0.99850.99900.99951.00001.00051.00101.00150-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phase (P = 5.2401 d)relative flux

Residual scatter 0.049% (observed minus binned median).

Clear, repeating eclipses with a consistent period and depth.

Period
5.24009 d
Primary depth
0.08%
Epoch (T0)
2695.258 BTJD
Duration
8.40 h
II

The catalog check

Cross-matched against known variable-star catalogs to rule out anything already listed.

  • VSXNot found
  • ASAS-SNNot found
  • Gaia eclipsing-binary tableNot found
  • Gaia variable classificationNot found
  • TESS EB catalog (Prsa+2022)Not found
  • ExoFOP TOI listNot found

0/6 catalogs list a known variable at this position.

No known variable star or catalogued match at this position.

Catalogs checked
6
Matches
0
III

The pixel check

Confirms the dimming is on the target star, not a nearby source.

Out of eclipse
In eclipse
Difference (out - in)
+ target TIC 111149941x neighbour bright enough to cause the dipo other TIC starsO dimming centroid1 pixel = 21"

Out/in share one sqrt colour scale; in-eclipse = out-of-eclipse minus difference. TESS sector 51.

9.7
0.98 px21"
0.0100 phase
TIC 10023595091.65 px, dT 8.1
0.75
51
!

Strong in pixel imaging, but simple-aperture photometry shows no dip.

Centroid offset
0.98 px
Difference SNR
9.7
Capable neighbour
TIC 1002359509
TESS sector
51
IV

The Gaia view

A second spacecraft's measurements: how far away the star is, how bright and what colour, and whether its position fits a single star.

0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.5-2024681012Gaia colour BP-RP (bluer to redder)Absolute G (brighter is up)SunTIC 111149941
Every survivor Gaia can place, by colour and true brightness; the Sun is marked for scale. Amber rings mark RUWE above 1.4. No stellar model is drawn - only the measurements.

It is about 568 light years away: the light TESS recorded left it around 568 years ago.

Together the two stars give off about 1.4 times the Sun's light in Gaia's band - before correcting for interstellar dust, which only makes distant stars look fainter.

Its colour is close to the Sun's.

Source: ESA Gaia DR3, source 3648184017662931200.

Gaia's measurements fit a single point of light well (RUWE 1.17), as expected for a pair too close for Gaia to separate.

Distance
174 +/- 1 pc
Light-travel time
~568 years
Apparent G
10.51
Absolute G
4.30
Colour BP-RP
0.87
RUWE
1.17
Match offset
1.62 arcsec
V

The ground-survey check

An independent instrument, different years: does real ZTF photometry show the eclipse at the period TESS measured?

No ZTF observations at this position (declination -3.3 deg) - likely too far south for ZTF's footprint, which covers the sky north of roughly -31 deg. Not a mark against the candidate, just a gap in ground-survey coverage.

VI

Fold it yourself

Adjust the period and watch the eclipse appear.

0.99850.99900.99951.00001.00051.00101.0015-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phaserelative flux
5.24009

Shown at the true period. The raw light curve needed to re-fold at other periods has not been exported yet - this slider unlocks automatically once it is.

The period the pipeline measured. Drag the slider away from it and the eclipse smears out.

True period
5.24009 d
BLS period
5.24009 d
Odd/even z
2.29
VII

Caveats

Known limitations and things to check.

  • Ambiguous:The difference-image detection is strong (peak SNR 9.7, compactness 0.75) but the star's own simple-aperture photometry shows no dip, and aperture/quality-mask sensitivity tests were inconsistent. Confirmed by pixel imaging; not independently confirmed by simple photometry.
VIII

Instrument

Raw values, fits and technical details.

Show raw data

Full statistics

5.24009 d
5.24009 dsame
0.08% +/- 0.01%seen 1/3
ML screening score
0.687logistic_regression
< 0.09%none at 5 sigma
2.29< 3
1.7554 dpower 0.03
8.4 h
Distance (TIC, Gaia-based)
177 pc+/- 2
10.51 / 10.05
6321 K / 1.09 Rsun
RA / Dec (J2000)
14h 39m 18.3s -03d 20m 26s
10.2 / 9.7
1,521 ptsover 25 d

Eclipse close-ups

Primary eclipse0.08%
0.99901.00001.0010-20-1001020hours from mid-eclipse
Secondary (phase 0.500)not sig.
0.99901.00001.0010-20-1001020hours from mid-eclipse

Same flux scale on both panels. Line: binned median. Shown in place of an orbit animation - this pipeline measures eclipses, it does not fit an orbit.

Period alias analysis

BLS period 5.2401 d
0.99850.99900.99951.00001.00051.0010-0.50.00.5
2x BLS 10.4802 d
0.99901.00001.0010-0.50.00.5

Odd/even depth z = 2.29 (gate 3.0): alternate eclipses match, so the BLS period stands.

O - C timing

primary eclipses
only 0 fully-covered eclipse(s) in the data - at least 3 are needed to test the period for timing changes

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