Analysis of TFOP Observations of NASA TESS Exoplanet Candidates

The transit method for detecting exoplanets has most recently been improved on by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. The mission surveyed the full sky, locating bright candidates for transits to be later verified by ground-based telescopes with greater angular resolution. The TESS Follow-Up Observing Program (TFOP) Working Group involves researchers globally who endeavor to confirm transit events on targets. As a member of the TFOP Science Group 1 over the last two terms, I have analyzed data for target stars to create light curves and make preliminary attempts to confirm events on the target. The analysis involved conducting photometry on the target and nearby stars to eliminate false-positives from nearby eclipsing-binaries, and to reduce uncertainty in the timing and transit depth. Here, I discuss the method used for detecting transits, and some of the targets analyzed over the course of the project.