Sector 78



Sector 78 Information

For full data release notes see: DRN110. For a list of TIC IDs with noted issues, see this list.

Sector Summary

  • Sector dates: May 3 2024 to May 21 2024
  • Pointing: Northern hemisphere
  • Days of Science Data Collection: 17.63
  • Days of Paused Data Collection: 11.14



    • Spacecraft Pointing (deg)

    RA dec roll
    Spacecraft 260.42 61.57 325.71
    Camera 1 238.24 28.71 72.2
    Camera 2 249.67 51.12 64.71
    Camera 3 280.85 70.39 216.96
    Camera 4 357.65 70.5 143.46



    Orbit Summary

    Orbits Dates (UTC)

    Start - End

    		 Cadence #

    Start - End

    		 Momentum dumps
    163b 2024-05-03 - 2024-05-07 1588902 - 1591347 1
    164a 2024-05-07 - 2024-05-14 1591498 - 1596827 1
    164b 2024-05-14 - 2024-05-21 1596978 - 1601904 1



    Sector Notes

    Noted Issue Description
    Safe Hold: TESS Sector 78 observations include physical orbits 163 and 164 of the spacecraft around the Earth. Sector 78 observations were truncated on April 23 because the spacecraft was in Safe Hold mode; observations resumed on May 3. A total of 10.72 days of observations were lost due to the Safe Hold. No data are taken in Spacecraft Safe Hold mode, which is a configuration that prioritizes the safety of the spacecraft and instrument in response to anomalies. The temperatures of the cameras change slightly during safe holds, and users may find small shifts (≤ 0.5 pixels) in the images for about 2 days after data collection resumes after a safe hold. These shifts are incorporated into the World Coordinate Solutions. Data collection was paused for a total of 11.14 days due to Spacecraft Safe Hold mode and data downloads. Data were downloaded approximately every seven days, near apogee and perigee of each orbit. In total, there are 17.63 days of science data collected in Sector 78.
    Spacecraft pointing: The pointing in Sector 78 was set at +83.5 degrees in ecliptic latitude so that Camera 3 points near the North Ecliptic Pole. Cameras 1 and 4 were used in Orbits 163a and 163b. Camera 4 was used for guiding in Orbits 164a and 164b.
    Scattered light: In Sector 78, the Earth introduces scattered light signals at the start of Oribt 163b, the end of Orbit 164a and the start of 164b.