Star Vetter

TIC 365764494

An uncatalogued eclipsing-binary candidate from TESS.

Period aliasSurvivorP = 1.56059 d

Eclipsing-binary candidate: 1.5606-day period (twice the BLS period), a 1.00% primary eclipse, a 0.88% secondary eclipse at phase 0.502.

TIC 365764494 is a candidate eclipsing binary star with an orbital period of 1.560595 days, detected through automated analysis of TESS photometry. The primary eclipse produces a dimming of 0.78 percent, while no secondary eclipse was detected. The signal registers a detection significance of 1042.2 on the automated pipeline's metric, and pixel-level analysis yields a peak signal-to-noise of 26.9, though with a centroid offset of 2.2 arcseconds from the target location. The candidate does not appear in any of six major variable-star catalogs. An important open question remains: the pipeline's data quality metrics show that alternating eclipses differ significantly in depth, which suggests the true orbital period may be twice what an initial automated search indicated - the reported period of 1.560595 days accounts for this effect.

Primary eclipsetotal light 0.989
Surface brightness ratio
0.88
Companion temperature
~4,814 K
Companion / star radius
~0.10
Face hidden at primary eclipse
~1%
Separation
~6.5 x the star's radius
Eccentricity
consistent with circular
Secondary eclipse phase
0.502 measured, 0.500 in this orbit

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 (4,973 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 5,618x 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.

  • Primary2026-10-19 09:05 UTC
  • Secondary2026-10-20 03:54 UTC
  • Primary2026-10-20 22:32 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
0.9880.9900.9920.9940.9960.9981.0001.0020-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phase (P = 1.5606 d)relative flux

Residual scatter 0.074% (observed minus binned median).

!

Alternate eclipses differ in depth, so the true period is twice the search period.

Period
1.56059 d
Primary depth
1.00%
Secondary depth
0.88%
Epoch (T0)
2825.345 BTJD
Duration
2.02 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 365764494x 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 75.

26.9
0.11 px2"
0.0000 phase
TIC 3657645040.89 px, dT 3.9
0.88
75

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

Centroid offset
0.11 px
Difference SNR
26.9
Capable neighbour
TIC 365764504
TESS sector
75
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 365764494
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 2,344 light years away: the light TESS recorded left it around 2,344 years ago.

Together the two stars give off about 39 times the Sun's light in Gaia's band - before correcting for interstellar dust, which only makes distant stars look fainter.

Its colour is redder than the Sun's, which usually means cooler - though dust along the way also reddens light.

Source: ESA Gaia DR3, source 2168388696944756608.

!

Gaia's position measurements fit this source poorly (RUWE 4.19, above the usual 1.4). That often means more than one star is there - most likely a wider third star or an unresolved neighbour, since a tight eclipsing pair barely moves Gaia's image. Context, not confirmation.

Distance
719 +/- 23 pc
Light-travel time
~2,344 years
Apparent G
9.99
Absolute G
0.70
Colour BP-RP
1.56
RUWE
4.19
Match offset
0.08 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 50.4 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.

0.9880.9900.9920.9940.9960.9981.0001.002-0.4-0.20.00.20.4phaserelative flux
1.56059

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
1.56059 d
BLS period
0.78030 d
Odd/even z
41.92
VII

Caveats

Known limitations and things to check.

  • Period alias:Odd/even eclipse-depth z-score is 41.92 (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, 1.560595 d, in any write-up.
VIII

Instrument

Raw values, fits and technical details.

Show raw data

Full statistics

1.56059 d
0.78030 dalias
1.00% +/- 0.01%seen 86/86
ML screening score
0.870logistic_regression
0.88% +/- 0.00%phase 0.502, 505 sigma
41.92> 3: alias
0.7803 dpower 0.25
2.0 h
Distance (TIC, Gaia-based)
623 pc+/- 26
9.98 / 9.18
4973 K / 11.81 Rsun
RA / Dec (J2000)
20h 49m 26.0s +50d 24m 13s
1042.2 / 26.9
56,190 ptsover 759 d

Eclipse close-ups

Primary eclipse1.00%
0.9880.9900.9920.9940.9960.9981.0001.002-6-4-20246hours from mid-eclipse
Secondary (phase 0.502)0.88%
0.9880.9900.9920.9940.9960.9981.0001.002-6-4-20246hours 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 0.7803 d
0.9900.9951.000-0.50.00.5
2x BLS 1.5606 d
0.9900.9951.000-0.50.00.5

Odd/even depth z = 41.92 (gate 3.0): alternate eclipses differ, so the true period is 2 x 0.7803 = 1.5606 d.

O - C timing

primary eclipses
-30-20-1001020300100200300400500Eclipse number (cycle)O - C (min)

86 eclipses timed, rms 3.24 min, reduced chi-square 10.55 (84 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 = 1.560573 +/- 0.000000 d.

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