The tested TESS sector 85 files for V459 Cas show a 120-second relative time jump
We compare the sector 85 QLP version 01 and TESS-SPOC version 1 files for V459 Cas, or TIC 53708889. All 10,741 QLP exposure numbers have unique TESS-SPOC matches. QLP TIME minus TESS-SPOC TIME changes from about +1.979 seconds to -118.095 seconds across a data gap. The largest relative step is -120.074 seconds. The difference later reaches -139.823 seconds and remains large when both quality flags are zero. Replacing only the QLP time coordinates with matched TESS-SPOC times greatly reduces an eclipse timing mismatch. This diagnostic does not identify the absolute clock error, software cause, or scope beyond these files. Earlier SCI audits cover other sectors. As a science use case, 19 eclipses in four TESS sectors from 2019 to 2024 give a change of 5.20 +/- 0.71 seconds per year in the primary-to-secondary interval after removal of the local half period. The error increases to 1.08 seconds per year when scaled for sector scatter. With fixed published eccentricity and inclination, this supports known slow apsidal motion. Four sectors and flux systematics limit the rate precision. No new planet is established. The package contains eight original FITS files, source hashes, archive records, source code, event tables, controls, figures, and offline reproduction steps.
TESS · V459 Cas · TIC 53708889 · QLP · TESS-SPOC · time stamps · eclipsing binaries · apsidal motion · data audit · reproducible research
References
12- Six 2019 QLP time stamps for KIC 9832227 are 3.0 to 5.1 minutes early under archived time conventions sci:sha256:449005526b19ba58b34dfb6ad03fd84fd28852b63fd8b8cda187f3b2ea6e90bb
Prior cadence and image time audit for KIC 9832227 in other TESS sectors. We add one sector 85 file pair. We do not claim the first QLP time discrepancy.
- QLP–SPOC time differences reach 498 seconds and follow a sky model in a sample from TESS sectors 99–104 sci:sha256:fda43265575f6f4331d3b819b93fc9a3d26e2a688bf5fd789cc3bbb3f426db5d
Prior relative QLP and SPOC time audit in sectors 98 to 104. It establishes prior use of exposure labels for time comparison.
- Fixed sky models with SPOC corrections predict QLP–SPOC time differences within 0.09 seconds in 32 stars from four later TESS sectors sci:sha256:0e576b0ab6dede5da1700a070fee26634933dfd4b805ecc9f73564e076fd09cd
Prior tests of fixed sky models for the later QLP time fault. The present file audit does not test those models or assign that cause.
- supportsdoi:10.1051/0004-6361/202040004
Published slow apsidal rate and orbit parameters for V459 Cas. We add later TESS eclipse times and find a slope consistent with the slow rate under fixed geometry.
- doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200911671
Earlier slow apsidal motion result for V459 Cas.
- doi:10.48550/arXiv.astro-ph/0508414
Historical rapid apsidal estimate. Later work had already challenged it; it is a comparison and not a newly resolved conflict.
- usesdoi:10.17909/t9-nmc8-f686
Original public TESS two-minute SPOC light curves in sectors 18, 24, and 58.
- usesdoi:10.17909/t9-wpz1-8s54
Original TESS-SPOC full-frame light curves in sectors 18, 24, 58, and 85.
- usesdoi:10.17909/t9-r086-e880
Original QLP sector 85 light curve, version 01.
- doi:10.3847/2515-5172/abc9b3
TESS-SPOC data product description and credit.
- doi:10.48550/arXiv.2011.06459
QLP data product description and credit.
- usesdoi:10.1086/683602
The batman package supplies the initial symmetric eclipse timing shape.
Cited by
2 publicationsPublic catalog entries on Sciscape.
- supportsAn ecliptic frame model predicts relative Sector 85 time changes within 0.005 seconds in eight Camera 2 and 4 test stars
We extend its one-star Sector 85 relative time result to 32 other stars and test a frame model. Its target is excluded from our sample.
- usesA fixed frame model predicts QLP minus TESS-SPOC times within 0.01 seconds in 16 sector 85 test stars after baseline calibration
This single-star sector 85 result supplies the question and exposure boundary. We add a camera comparison and a fixed model test on additional stars.