How Does NASA’s New Planet Hunter: TESS Work?

TESS is like a super smart detective who looks for new planets hiding in the sky.

Imagine you're playing hide and seek outside. You can't see your friend, but when they move past a tree, you catch a glimpse of them. That's how TESS works, it looks for planets that pass in front of their stars, blocking just a little bit of light.

TESS has four big eyes (called cameras) that watch parts of the sky. It takes pictures every 30 minutes, like taking snapshots of a movie. If a planet is passing by its star, it's like someone walking in front of a flashlight, you can tell something is there because the light gets dimmer for a little while.

Every time TESS finds a planet, scientists get excited. It’s like finding a new toy in a big box. These planets might be just right for life, maybe even have oceans or clouds! And the best part? TESS is looking at stars that are closer to us than other planet hunters, so we can study them more easily.

TESS helps us understand how our universe works and where else life could be hiding.