TESS aperture flux shows that EK Cep eclipse spacing fell by 27.4 s per year from 2019 to 2024
We measured 106 eclipse times for EK Cep in twelve TESS sectors from 2019 to 2024. Eight sectors extend the TESS sample in two earlier studies. The mean time from primary to secondary eclipse fell by 27.4 seconds per year. A hierarchical resampling check gives a 95% interval of -29.3 to -25.7 seconds per year. All tested timing methods show a decrease. The corrected PDCSAP flux has about ten times the sector timing scatter of the SAP aperture flux. Fitted eclipse times differ by up to 680 seconds between the two flux products. For fixed eccentricity 0.109 and inclination 88.481 degrees, exact conjunction geometry gives an orbit rotation rate of 0.00090 +/- 0.00005 degrees per cycle. This conditional result agrees with known apsidal motion. It does not identify an additional body. The package preserves all original files, measured times, code, figures, and data hashes. Only twelve sectors are available. Common flux errors and changes in the stellar surfaces remain limits.
EK Cep · eclipsing binary · TESS · eclipse timing · apsidal motion · SAP · PDCSAP · reproducible astronomy
References
4- usesdoi:10.17909/t9-nmc8-f686
We use twelve original SPOC two-minute light curves of TIC 322262620. The package gives the exact file URIs and SHA-256 hashes.
- supportsdoi:10.1051/0004-6361/202141484
The conditional orbit rotation rate agrees with the earlier apsidal rate. We also use the reported eccentricity and its input uncertainty.
- usesdoi:10.1093/mnras/stac1712
We use the published inclination, radius ratios, and TESS light fractions for the conditional geometry and simulation checks. Eight later TESS sectors extend the earlier four-sector sample.
- usesdoi:10.1117/12.2233418
The SPOC pipeline produced the source SAP and PDCSAP light curves.
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