TESS Reveals Dazzling Night Sky

This view of the whole sky was constructed from 96 TESS sectors. By the end of September 2025, when the last image of this mosaic was captured, TESS had discovered 679 exoplanets (blue dots) and 5,165 candidates (orange dots). The glowing arc running through the center is the plane of the Milky Way. The Large Magellanic Cloud can be seen along the bottom edge just left of center. Black areas within the oval indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Oval projection of the TESS night sky with exoplanet markers

Image description: This oval view of the night sky features a U-shaped band of greyish white running downward from top left to bottom center and then upward to top right. The left side of the U is brighter than the right. Blue and orange dots speckle the image, representing confirmed and candidate exoplanets, respectively. Along the oval’s equator, there are a few black lines and blocks of the sky that are a slightly different shade than the rest of the image. There is an empty black block in the upper left.

The current TESS all-sky view is shown here without markers for confirmed and candidate exoplanets. The Andromeda galaxy is a small bright dot near the oval’s upper-right edge, and the Small Magellanic Cloud is visible at bottom left above the pale smudge just left of bottom center — the Large Magellanic Cloud. Black areas within the oval indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Oval projection of the TESS night sky

Image description: This oval view of the night sky features a U-shaped band of greyish white running downward from top left to bottom center and then upward to top right. The left side of the U is brighter than the right. Across the oval’s middle are blocks of the sky with a slightly different shade than the rest of the image. There is an empty black block in the upper left and black lines apparent throughout the image.

This view captures the northern sky as seen by TESS. The Milky Way’s central plane arcs through the view just left of center. Blue dots show the location of confirmed exoplanets, and orange dots show candidates. Black areas within the map indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Circular view of the TESS northern sky with exoplanet markers

Image description: This circular view of the TESS northern sky has a greyish white band running across the image just left of center. Blue and orange dots speckle the image, representing confirmed and candidate exoplanets. A few black lines and arcs are visible in the image, the longest running near the edge from about 1 o’clock to 6 o’clock. There’s an empty black block at bottom right.

The Andromeda galaxy stands out as a small bright oval at about the 10 o’clock position in this composite view of the northern sky as seen by TESS. Black areas within the map indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Circular view of the TESS northern sky

Image description: This circular view of the northern sky captured by TESS has a greyish white band running across the image just left of center. A few black lines and arcs are visible in the image, the longest running near the edge from 1 o’clock to 6 o’clock. There’s an empty black block at bottom right. A few bright white dots represent the locations of galaxies and other cosmic objects.

This view captures the southern sky as seen by TESS. The Milky Way’s central plane arcs through the view just left of center. Blue dots show the location of confirmed exoplanets, and orange dots show candidates. The bright white oval at the center is the Large Magellanic Cloud. Black areas within the map indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Circular view of the TESS southern sky with exoplanet markers

Image description: This circular view of the TESS southern sky has a greyish white band running across the image just left of center. Blue and orange dots speckle the image, representing confirmed and candidate exoplanets. A few black lines and arcs are visible in the image, the longest running near the edge from about 11 o’clock to 3 o’clock. There is a small, bright oval at the center.

The Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy, appears near the center of this TESS view of the southern sky. The smaller smudge below it, at about 5 o’clock, is its neighbor, the Small Magellanic Cloud. The bright dot at the top, near 12 o’clock, is the Orion Nebula.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Circular view of the TESS southern sky

Image description: This circular view of the TESS southern sky has a greyish white band running across the image just left of center. A few black lines and arcs are visible in the image, the longest running near the edge from about 11 o’clock to 3 o’clock. There is an oval near the center with a smaller one below and to the right. There are a few other bright dots scattered across the image.

This all-sky view shows the TESS sky map in a rectangular projection and marks the locations of confirmed (blue) and candidate (orange) exoplanets. The band of the Milky Way, the central plane of our galaxy, takes on a U shape, and the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy, appears as the elongated glow at bottom left. Black areas within the map indicate regions TESS has not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Rectangular projection of the TESS night sky with exoplanet markers

Image description: This rectangular view of the night sky has a U-shaped band of greyish white running from the left to right sides. The left side of the U is brighter than the right. Blue and orange dots speckle the image, representing confirmed and candidate exoplanets. Along the middle, there are areas of the sky that are a slightly different shade than the rest of the image. There is an empty black block left and above center and black strips throughout. A long, stretched white oval in the bottom left corner is the Large Magellanic Cloud.

This all-sky view shows the TESS sky map in a rectangular projection without annotations. Black areas within the map indicate regions TESS not yet imaged.

Credit: NASA/MIT/TESS and Veselin Kostov (University of Maryland College Park)

Alt text: Rectangular projection of the TESS night sky

Image description: This rectangular view of the night sky has a U-shaped band of greyish white running from the left to right sides. The left side of the U is brighter than the right. Along the middle, there are areas of the sky that are a slightly different shade than the rest of the image. There is an empty black block left and above center and black strips throughout. A long, stretched white oval in the bottom-left corner is the Large Magellanic Cloud. Above it is a smaller oval showing the location of the Small Magellanic Cloud.