Astronomy Colloquium

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is NASA's ongoing mission to discover planets outside the solar system, and more generally, to explore the variability of bright sources over the entire sky. TESS uses four small optical telescopes to monitor millions of stars over wide fields of view. In the seven years since the mission began, TESS data have led to the confirmation of about 500 new planets and the identification of about 7,000 planet candidates that are being pursued by ground-based observers. Planets have been discovered around stars spanning a wide range of masses and ages, including red giants and a white dwarf, and observations with the James Webb Space Telescope are revealing the composition and structure of their atmospheres. Beyond planet hunting, TESS provides a treasure trove of data on variable stars, asteroids, comets, supernovae, and active galactic nuclei. In this talk, I will describe the history of TESS, discuss the most surprising and compelling discoveries so far, and look ahead to what's next for this unique space facility.