NASA's TESS finds 'mysterious' object causing light fluctuations in binary star system

Scientists studying universe using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have come across something that is, to a large extent, ‘mysterious’. astronomers, while observing an object called TIC 400799224, found that it is fluctuating in brightness, which hints towards anor object orbiting it.

While analysis of TESS' data shows TIC 400799224 to be a pair of stars, scientists are unable to determine which one is being orbited and what exactly is orbiting star. While scientists have concluded that TIC 400799224 is a binary star system, y are suspecting that mysterious object orbiting one of stars might be an asteroid or even a planet.  

Is it an asteroid or a planet?

In ir paper published in Astronomical Journal, astronomers noted that both stars are as much as 300 AU apart from each or, AU being distance between Earth and Sun. It was also stated that dip in starlight is being caused basically due to clouds of dust being released by supposed asteroid/planet.

research team believes dip is due to dust clouds rar than complete celestial bodies because y are not recording fluctuations after every transit by planet/asteroid. A 'transit' is a phase when a celestial body crosses face of its star, which causes an eclipse and results in light fluctuations.

TESS is a space observatory that has sole job of finding exoplanets by recording se dips and locating alien worlds. However, scientists are facing some confusion about ir findings as dust clouds, that y saw causing light fluctuations, are much larger than expected. This has me team assume that whatever is out re orbiting star is undergoing disintegration. Meanwhile, scientists are continuing ir study in order to determine what exactly is orbiting star and how big is it.

More about NASA's TESS 

Launched in 2018, TESS has been developed to study stars that are 30 to 100 times brighter than ones observed during Kepler and K2 missions in order to find exoplanets. NASA says that TESS enables far easier follow-up observations with both ground-based and space-based telescopes. As of now, TESS has discovered 172 exoplanets with 4,703 candidate exoplanets waiting for confirmation. 

(Image: NASA)