TIC 96818680
An uncatalogued eclipsing-binary candidate from TESS.
Eclipsing-binary candidate: 6.4789-day period (twice the BLS period), a 0.45% primary eclipse, a 0.37% secondary eclipse at phase 0.501.
TIC 96818680 is a candidate eclipsing binary star with an orbital period of 6.478936 days and a primary eclipse depth of 0.44 percent. The system was identified through automated analysis of TESS photometry data, with a high detection significance of 113.9 in the Box Least Squares search. Pixel-level image analysis confirmed the signal at the target location, though with a centroid offset of 8.9 arcsec. No secondary eclipse was detected. The candidate does not appear in six major variable-star catalogs, suggesting it has not been previously cataloged. However, an important open question remains: alternating eclipses show significantly different depths, which typically indicates the true orbital period is twice the initial measurement. While pixel-level confirmation and eclipse timing are unaffected by this analysis, this depth variation should be considered when evaluating the system's properties.
- Surface brightness ratio
- 0.83
- Companion temperature
- ~5,303 K
- Companion / star radius
- ~0.08
- Face hidden at primary eclipse
- ~1%
- Separation
- ~38 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 8x 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 (5,592 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 23,324x 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 09:50 UTC
- Secondary2026-10-25 15:46 UTC
- Primary2026-10-28 21:19 UTC
Computed from the fitted ephemeris. Approximate - not corrected for your location or for light-travel time across Earth's orbit.
The signal
A repeating, consistent dip in brightness.
Residual scatter 0.114% (observed minus binned median).
Alternate eclipses differ in depth, so the true period is twice the search period.
- Period
- 6.47894 d
- Primary depth
- 0.45%
- Secondary depth
- 0.37%
- Epoch (T0)
- 3098.433 BTJD
- Duration
- 1.39 h
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
The pixel check
Confirms the dimming is on the target star, not a nearby source.
Out/in share one sqrt colour scale; in-eclipse = out-of-eclipse minus difference. TESS sector 66.
- 10.2
- 0.42 px9"
- 0.0025 phase
- TIC 968186640.75 px, dT 5.7
- 0.83
- 66
The dimming is centred on the target star. No nearby contaminant detected.
- Centroid offset
- 0.42 px
- Difference SNR
- 10.2
- Capable neighbour
- TIC 96818664
- TESS sector
- 66
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.
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.
Fold it yourself
Adjust the period and watch the eclipse appear.
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
- 6.47894 d
- BLS period
- 3.23947 d
- Odd/even z
- 4.77
Caveats
Known limitations and things to check.
- Period alias:Odd/even eclipse-depth z-score is 4.77 (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, 6.478936 d, in any write-up.
VIIIInstrument
Raw values, fits and technical details.
Instrument
Raw values, fits and technical details.
Full statistics
- 6.47894 d
- 3.23947 dalias
- 0.45% +/- 0.15%seen 6/6
- ML screening score
- 0.613logistic_regression
- 0.37% +/- 0.01%phase 0.501, 50 sigma
- 4.77> 3: alias
- 0.2700 dpower 0.01
- 1.4 h
- Distance (TIC, Gaia-based)
- 198 pc+/- 9
- 10.24 / 9.76
- 5592 K / 1.71 Rsun
- RA / Dec (J2000)
- 16h 45m 46.9s -30d 25m 48s
- 113.9 / 10.2
- 42,521 ptsover 757 d
Eclipse close-ups
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
Odd/even depth z = 4.77 (gate 3.0): alternate eclipses differ, so the true period is 2 x 3.2395 = 6.4789 d.
O - C timing
6 eclipses timed, rms 2.74 min, reduced chi-square 41.17 (4 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 = 6.478768 +/- 0.000004 d.