NASA, Citizen Scientists Discover 10,001 Eclipsing Binary Stars

Edited by: Uliana S.

On June 26, 2025, a collaborative effort between NASA's TESS mission, artificial intelligence, and citizen scientists resulted in the discovery of a catalog of 10,001 eclipsing binary stars. The findings, published in *The Astrophysical Journal*, offer valuable insights into stellar formation and evolution.

Eclipsing binaries are star systems where one star periodically passes in front of the other, causing dips in brightness. These systems are crucial for studying stellar properties.

The discovery, led by Dr. Veselin Kostov, involved analyzing TESS data and using machine learning to identify eclipse-like features. Of these, 7,936 are newly discovered systems, and the remaining 2,065 were previously known but updated. This catalog will enhance our understanding of stellar evolution and aid in exoplanet searches.

Sources

  • Universe Today

  • The TESS Ten Thousand Catalog: 10,001 uniformly-vetted and -validated Eclipsing Binary Stars detected in Full-Frame Image data by machine learning and analyzed by citizen scientists

  • NASA Citizen Scientists Find New Eclipsing Binary Stars

  • Join the Eclipsing Binary Patrol and Spot Rare Stellar Pairs!

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