TESSELLATE: Piecing Together the Variable Sky with TESS
Abstract We present TESSELLATE , a dedicated pipeline for performing an untargeted search documenting all variable phenomena captured by the TESS space telescope. Building on the TESSreduce difference imaging pipeline, TESSELLATE extracts calibrated and reduced photometric data for every full frame image in the TESS archive. Using this data, we systematically identify transient, variable, and nonsidereal signals across timescales ranging from minutes to weeks. The high cadence and wide field of view of TESS enables us to conduct a comprehensive search of the entire sky to a depth of ∼17 m i . Based on the volumetric rates for known fast transients, we expect there to be numerous fast blue optical transients and gamma-ray burst afterglows present in the existing TESS data set. Beyond transients, TESSELLATE can also identify new variable stars and exoplanet candidates and recover known asteroids. We classify events using machine learning techniques and the work of citizen scientists via the Zooniverse Cosmic Cataclysms project. Finally, we introduce the TESSELLATE Sky Survey: a complete, open catalog of the variable sky observed by TESS.
Authors
- Qinan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5233-6989)
- Michele T. Bannister (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3257-4490)
- A. Rest (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4410-5387)
- James Freeburn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7990-0547)
- Jeff Cooke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5703-2108)
- Andrew Ridden-Harper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5425-2655)
- Ryan Ridden-Harper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1724-2885)
- Michael Fausnaugh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9113-7162)
- H. L. Roxburgh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6992-0898)
- Rebekah Hounsell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0476-4206)
- D. A. Coulter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4263-2228)
- Andrew C. Moore
- Zachary G. Lane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8380-4003)
- Lancia Hubley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0556-3886)
- Brayden Leicester
- Clarinda Montilla
Institutions
- Texas Tech University (US)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Canterbury (NZ)
- Curtin University (AU)
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR)
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (AU)
- International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (AU)
- Swinburne University of Technology (AU)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Astronomical Journal
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/adf21b
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Optical measurement and interference techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.28
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Australian Government
- New Zealand Government
- Royal Society Te Apārangi
- Swinburne University of Technology
- State Government of Victoria
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- Marsden Fund