TIC 66979777 and TIC 49773023: two small planet candidates transiting nearby M dwarfs in TESS data, including Sectors 105–108

We report two new transiting-planet candidates from an independent search of TESS light curves of nearby K and M dwarfs that combines archival sectors with our own photometry of the public full-frame images of Sectors 105–108. TIC 66979777 (M dwarf, 45.6 pc, T = 12.16): P = 11.904008 ± 0.000017 d, T0 = 2460679.2628 BJD_TDB, depth ~2380 ppm, Rp = 1.85 (+0.16/−0.13) Earth radii, 10 transits in Sectors 6, 33, 87, 98 and 107. TIC 49773023 (early M dwarf, 87.2 pc, T = 11.65): P = 10.101657 ± 0.000023 d, T0 = 2460680.2022 BJD_TDB, depth ~1430 ppm, Rp = 2.46 ± 0.16 Earth radii, 11 transits in Sectors 6, 33, 87, 107 and 108. Both pass odd/even, secondary-eclipse, per-sector, hold-out, stellar-density, pixel-level, Gaia, archival-plate and ephemeris-match tests. After removing neighbours excluded at pixel level and constraining bound companions with MOLUSC (Gaia RUWE and contrast limits), TRICERATOPS gives FPP = 0.069 ± 0.014 for TIC 66979777 and FPP = 0.008 ± 0.004 for TIC 49773023, both with NFPP < 0.001. TIC 49773023 thus meets the usual statistical-validation threshold (FPP < 0.015, NFPP < 0.001) on a preliminary basis; high-resolution imaging is still needed for both. Predicted transit times for TESS Sectors 110–111 are included, published before those data are released. The report, transit photometry, MCMC posteriors, TRICERATOPS and MOLUSC output are attached. Not previously reported in ExoFOP (TOI/CTOI), the NASA Exoplanet Archive or other public candidate lists as of 7 November 2026.