Star Vetter

TIC 313485023

An uncatalogued eclipsing-binary candidate from TESS.

Period aliasSurvivorP = 13.15231 d

Eclipsing-binary candidate: 13.1523-day period (twice the BLS period), a 2.12% primary eclipse, a 1.26% secondary eclipse at phase 0.501. Automated cross-checks question this period - see below.

TIC 313485023 is a candidate eclipsing binary star identified through automated analysis of TESS photometry data. The system shows a primary eclipse with a depth of 1.28% and an orbital period of 13.152313 days. A secondary eclipse was detected at 5.7 sigma significance. The star does not appear in six checked variable-star catalogs, making it a previously uncatalogued candidate. Pixel-level image analysis confirms the signal with a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 30.3, though the centroid offset of 2.5 arcsec from the target warrants further investigation. One data quality metric indicates that alternating eclipses differ significantly in depth, which is consistent with the corrected period reported here rather than the initial BLS finding.

Primary eclipsetotal light 0.989
Surface brightness ratio
0.59
Companion temperature
~4,982 K
Companion / star radius
~0.15
Face hidden at primary eclipse
~2%
Separation
~20 x the star's radius
Eccentricity
consistent with circular
Secondary eclipse phase
0.501 measured, 0.500 in this orbit

Zoomed: both stars drawn about 4x 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 (5,773 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 47,348x 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.

  • Primary2026-10-22 13:47 UTC
  • Secondary2026-10-29 03:54 UTC
  • Primary2026-11-04 17:27 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
0.9800.9850.9900.9951.0001.0051.0100-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phase (P = 13.1523 d)relative flux

Residual scatter 0.316% (observed minus binned median).

!

Automated cross-checks question this period - see Caveats below.

Period
13.15231 d
Primary depth
2.12%
Secondary depth
1.26%
Epoch (T0)
1718.765 BTJD
Duration
5.86 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 313485023x 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 74.

30.3
0.12 px2"
0.0075 phase
TIC 3134850202.73 px, dT 3.7
0.85
74

The dimming is centred on the target star. No nearby contaminant detected.

Centroid offset
0.12 px
Difference SNR
30.3
Capable neighbour
TIC 313485020
TESS sector
74
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.

The latest Gaia context file does not include this candidate yet, so there is no Gaia view to show.

V

The ground-survey check

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

The latest ground-survey file does not include this candidate yet, so there is no independent ZTF check to show.

VI

Fold it yourself

Adjust the period and watch the eclipse appear.

0.9800.9850.9900.9951.0001.0051.010-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phaserelative flux
13.15231

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
13.15231 d
BLS period
6.57616 d
Odd/even z
12.25
VII

Caveats

Known limitations and things to check.

Cross-check:No eclipse at 4 of 20 covered epochs where the 13.15231 d period predicts one (each under half the typical depth, > 5 sigma below it). The period is probably wrong - the dips seen may be separate eclipses of a longer-period system.

  • Period alias:Odd/even eclipse-depth z-score is 12.25 (gate > 3.0): alternating eclipses differ significantly in depth, the signature of a true period double what BLS found. Pixel-check confirmation and eclipse timing are unaffected - report the corrected period, 13.152313 d, in any write-up.
VIII

Instrument

Raw values, fits and technical details.

Show raw data

Full statistics

13.15231 d
6.57616 dalias
2.12% +/- 0.18%seen 13/20
ML screening score
0.732logistic_regression
1.26% +/- 0.02%phase 0.501, 81 sigma
12.25> 3: alias
1.0961 dpower 0.03
5.9 h
Distance (TIC, Gaia-based)
762 pc+/- 12
12.89 / 12.44
5773 K / 1.80 Rsun
RA / Dec (J2000)
13h 15m 52.7s +75d 16m 59s
212.8 / 30.3
40,951 ptsover 1656 d

Eclipse close-ups

Primary eclipse2.12%
0.9800.9901.0001.010-10010hours from mid-eclipse
Secondary (phase 0.501)1.26%
0.9800.9901.0001.010-10010hours 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 6.5762 d
0.9800.9901.0001.010-0.50.00.5
2x BLS 13.1523 d
0.9800.9901.0001.010-0.50.00.5

Odd/even depth z = 12.25 (gate 3.0): alternate eclipses differ, so the true period is 2 x 6.5762 = 13.1523 d.

O - C timing

primary eclipses
-20-10010205060708090100110120Eclipse number (cycle)O - C (min)

12 eclipses timed, rms 9.36 min, reduced chi-square 7.81 (10 dof): more scatter than the timing errors explain - worth a closer look.

Each eclipse timed by fitting the star's own mean eclipse profile; fitted P = 13.153249 +/- 0.000017 d.

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