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You can investigate an exoplanet candidate in public NASA TESS data without owning a telescope: find its TESS Object of Interest (TOI), check its current status in ExoFOP, retrieve the available observations from MAST, then inspect the light curve and—when useful—the image pixels behind it. A dip in a light curve is a signal to investigate, not proof of a new planet. Existing candidates, confirmed planets and false positives all appear in TESS candidate records, so the object’s current disposition and the evidence behind it matter as much as the shape of the dip.
What do you need before analyzing TESS data?
You need a target identifier and access to the relevant public data; you do not need observing equipment. A useful starting point is a TOI entry, which gives candidate context, but a catalog record is not the underlying measurement. NASA’s Exoplanet Archive documentation directs readers to ExoFOP for the most up-to-date TOI listing. Since the archive assembles its TOI table periodically from ExoFOP, the two displays may not be synchronized.
- NASA Exoplanet Archive: use its TESS Project Candidates table to look up a TOI and see catalog context.
- ExoFOP: check the more current TOI listing, disposition and follow-up information. The listing changes, so record when you checked it.
- MAST: retrieve the actual TESS data products, such as precomputed light curves, target pixel files, full-frame images and available data-validation time series.
- A way to inspect the data: use MAST’s browser tools, or use code and the Lightkurve workflow shown in NASA’s tutorial. The tutorial also offers browser-based Colab execution, so its example does not require a local Python installation.
For a target, write down its TOI and TIC identifiers, current disposition, cited transit parameters, and the date you checked the listing. Transit parameters may include the orbital period, transit midpoint, depth and duration. Keep uncertainty and provenance with any values you record: a number is more useful when you know where it came from and what it represents.
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How do I find a TOI and check whether it is still a candidate?
Search the NASA Exoplanet Archive’s TESS Project Candidates table for the object, then use ExoFOP to check its current listing and follow-up context. Do not treat the presence of a record—or a changing table total—as a confirmed-planet count.
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- Search the candidate table. Look up the TOI if you already have one. If you are starting from a named star, first identify the relevant record and its identifiers rather than assuming a name alone uniquely identifies the data.
- Open the corresponding ExoFOP record. Compare its disposition and follow-up notes with the archive entry. ExoFOP is the place the archive points readers for the latest TOI listing; its listing can change independently of the archive’s periodically assembled table.
- Record the status and check time. Note whether the object is listed as a candidate, false positive or confirmed planet, and when you viewed the listing. A status can change as evidence accumulates.
- Review prior identifications. Check whether the target already appears among candidates or confirmed planets before treating a similar signal as a new finding. ExoFOP asks contributors to check its listings to reduce duplicate submissions.
The distinction between labels is essential. A TOI is an object of interest in TESS follow-up records; the label alone does not establish that it is a planet. A candidate is a possible planet awaiting sufficient evidence, while a confirmed planet has a different evidentiary status. False positives are also represented in the candidate records. Always use the current disposition rather than casually calling every TOI a planet.
The ExoFOP TOI table displayed 8,151 entries in a available data dated October 30, 2026, at 09:45:25 UTC. That is a volatile table count, not a count of confirmed planets, and it should not be reused as a current number without checking the live listing.
Where can I download TESS light curves?
Use NASA’s Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), the archive for TESS observations and products. Search for the target there and inspect which sectors and product types are actually available; different targets and observations do not necessarily have the same files or exposure times.
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MAST offers several ways to work with the data:
- Precomputed light curves: convenient time-series products, when available for the target and observation.
- Target pixel files: pixel-level observations that let you inspect the target’s aperture and nearby sources.
- Full-frame image cutouts: use TESSCut to obtain a cutout from TESS full-frame images when a suitable precomputed light curve is unavailable or when you want to extract a time series yourself.
- Data-validation time series: consult these when available, alongside the light curve and follow-up record.
Start at NASA’s TESS data-products guide for product descriptions and retrieval options. MAST also provides beginner tutorials for retrieving and displaying light curves and validation products. Do not assume that every target has a light curve, pixel file or validation product for every sector; check the returned observations, provenance and exposure times.
How do I inspect a TESS light curve?
Begin with the original time series and inspect its quality before applying corrections. Then compare the available flux products, look for a repeatable transit-like pattern, and preserve the unmodified view so you can see whether cleaning altered the apparent signal.
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NASA’s worked example uses Pi Mensae (TIC 261136679), an already studied target, to demonstrate finding light curves and pixel data. It shows Lightkurve searches such as:
lightkurve.search_lightcurve('Pi Mensae')
lightkurve.search_targetpixelfile('Pi Mensae')
lightkurve.search_tesscut('Pi Mensae')The example filters a light-curve search to SPOC products and a selected exposure time. These calls illustrate the tutorial’s workflow, not a guarantee that identical products exist for another target. The tutorial names Lightkurve 2.0.1; check the current Lightkurve documentation before relying on version-specific details. See NASA’s TESS analysis tutorial for the worked example and its browser-based Colab option.
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- Plot the original flux first. Look for gaps, abrupt changes, noisy intervals and missing values. Note any quality flags or sections you may later exclude.
- Compare SAP and PDCSAP where both are available. SAP is the brightness summed within an aperture. PDCSAP applies processing intended to reduce long-term trends. NASA’s example begins with PDCSAP for a cleaner initial view and compares it with SAP; neither view makes a transit-like dip conclusive.
- Inspect suspected events against the time series. A useful signal should be considered in the context of the full observation, its gaps and its quality—not just a cropped dip that looks convincing in isolation.
- Apply cleaning cautiously. NASA’s tutorial demonstrates flattening a light curve, masking an identified noisy interval and removing outliers. These steps can make structure easier to see, but always compare the result with the original flux. A processing choice can change the appearance of a feature.
- Fold only with a period you have a reason to use. Folding aligns observations by orbital phase so repeated events can be inspected together. The tutorial folds Pi Mensae at a previously known period; that demonstration reproduces a known transit and does not show how to discover a new orbital period.
- Use binning as a viewing aid, not as validation. Binning the folded signal can make its shape easier to inspect, but it does not establish that the source is a planet or replace checks of the unbinned data and pixels.
NASA’s tutorial demonstrates operations such as flatten(), remove_outliers(), fold() and bin(). Treat these as analysis choices rather than automatic truth-finding steps. Preserve the original light curve, note exclusions and transformations, and compare the apparent event before and after processing.
When should I use a TESSCut image cutout instead of a precomputed light curve?
A precomputed light curve is the convenient first choice when it covers the target and observation you need. Use a TESSCut cutout when a suitable time series is unavailable or when you need to inspect how the signal depends on the pixels and aperture used to extract it.
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TESSCut provides pixel cutouts from full-frame images. Turning those pixels into a light curve requires choices about which pixels to include in the aperture and how to account for background. Those choices can affect the resulting time series. NASA’s tutorial warns that blending matters because TESS pixels are large: nearby sources can contribute light within the same area.
For a suspected transit, inspect the nearby image and compare extraction routes where possible. Ask whether the dip remains when you consider the target’s pixels and surrounding sources, rather than assuming a dip from one aperture must belong to the named star. A pixel cutout is useful evidence to examine, not a verdict about the signal’s origin.
Is a dip in TESS data a new exoplanet?
No. A dip is a transit-like signal that merits investigation; by itself it does not show that a planet caused it, that the signal has not been reported before, or that the target is a new discovery.
Before making a claim, check the following:
- Existing records: compare the target with the TOI list and confirmed-planet records. Check for prior identification so you do not mistake a known object for a new signal.
- Current disposition: consult ExoFOP for the latest TOI status and follow-up context, not only the archive table.
- Data quality and processing: review gaps, quality flags, noisy intervals and the effect of cleaning. Keep the unmodified series available for comparison.
- Pixel evidence: inspect the aperture and nearby sources. Blending can make it unclear which source is responsible for a dip.
- Validation and follow-up: review available MAST data-validation products and ExoFOP notes. A plotted transit alone does not replace these checks.
- Parameters and uncertainty: record the period, transit midpoint, depth and duration where available, together with uncertainties and the source of each value.
ExoFOP’s help page describes publication requirements for uploading a community planet candidate and asks for supporting material, such as an image of a fitted-transit light curve. Its help text distinguishes initial PC (planet candidate) and FP (false positive) dispositions from CP (confirmed planet); CP is not an option for a new submission. Do not treat viewing a dip as sufficient preparation to post a new community candidate. Read the current ExoFOP submission guidance and provide the supporting analysis it calls for.
What is the difference between the archive, ExoFOP and MAST?
They serve different parts of the investigation: the archive provides catalog context, ExoFOP provides the more current TOI and follow-up workspace, and MAST supplies the observations and data products. Checking one does not replace checking the others.
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| Resource | Use it for | What it does not establish on its own |
|---|---|---|
| NASA Exoplanet Archive | Search the TESS Project Candidates table and review catalog context. | A table entry alone does not confirm a planet or provide the full underlying analysis. |
| ExoFOP | Check the more current TOI listing, disposition and follow-up notes; review guidance for candidate submissions. | A TOI label or a community listing is not, by itself, proof that a signal is planetary. |
| MAST / TESS archive | Retrieve available light curves, pixel products, full-frame image cutouts and validation time series. | The existence of a data product does not interpret a dip or settle its origin. |
This division is useful in practice: identify and contextualize the object, check its live status, then inspect the observation products. If sources appear to disagree, note the time of each lookup and the product or record you used rather than silently treating the displays as identical.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can I analyze TESS data without coding or a telescope?
Yes. MAST provides browser-based ways to search and retrieve data, and NASA’s tutorial offers a Colab route for its example. Citizen-science projects are another option if you prefer guided visual participation over building a custom analysis workflow.
NASA identifies Planet Hunters TESS as a route for finding signals and Planet Patrol as a route for assessing TESS candidates. These are distinct from the Exoplanet Archive, which is a data resource rather than a citizen-science project. A guided contribution can help you engage with candidate signals, but it does not make every apparent dip a confirmed planet.
You also do not need to collect your own observations to analyze public TESS data. NASA Exoplanet Watch offers data and robotic-telescope routes for people without personal equipment. Its observing guidance describes an optional ground-based arrangement with a 4-inch-or-larger telescope, tripod, tracking mount, camera and computer; its EXOTIC software reduces those ground-based images into a light curve. That is a separate workflow from downloading TESS observations, and hardware is not a prerequisite for examining TESS data. See NASA Exoplanet Watch observing guidance for those optional follow-up routes.
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Report what the data support, and separate observations from interpretation. For example, describe a feature as a transit-like dip in a particular TESS light curve if that is what you observed; do not call it a newly discovered or confirmed planet unless the current status and supporting evidence justify that language.
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A responsible record includes the target’s TOI and TIC identifiers, the current disposition and when it was checked, the MAST observations and products inspected, the flux product used, any cleaning or exclusions, and the provenance and uncertainties of transit parameters. Include pixel and validation checks where available, and mention relevant follow-up notes. This makes the analysis interpretable and easier to distinguish from a claim based only on a visually compelling dip.
The core workflow is therefore a cross-check, not a single plot: find the object, verify its status, retrieve the available measurements, inspect the signal and pixels, and compare the result with validation and follow-up information. Public data make that investigation accessible; they do not remove the need to establish what caused the signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run NASA’s TESS tutorial in a browser without installing Python?
Yes. NASA’s tutorial offers browser-based Colab execution for its worked example, which avoids a local Python installation for that route. Check the current tutorial and software documentation before relying on version-specific details.
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What does PC, FP or CP mean in an ExoFOP TESS record?
ExoFOP’s help page uses PC for planet candidate, FP for false positive and CP for confirmed planet. Its guidance says CP is not an available disposition for a new community-candidate submission.
Can I contribute to TESS research if I do not know how to code?
NASA points to Planet Hunters TESS for finding signals and Planet Patrol for assessing candidates. These citizen-science routes are different from downloading data and writing a custom analysis, and participation does not itself confirm a planet.
Do I need to buy a telescope to work with TESS observations?
No. Public TESS observations can be retrieved and analyzed without collecting your own images. Ground-based observing through NASA Exoplanet Watch is an optional, separate route to follow-up.
