Mysterious Transients Observe Nuclear Tests

What Are Transients?

Astronomers studying old sky surveys have found strange, short‑lived “star‑like” objects that appear suddenly and vanish just as quickly. These transients last less than 50 minutes, showing up in a single image but absent in earlier or later surveys. Thousands have been cataloged in the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS‑I) through the VASCO project (Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations).

Common explanations—like lensing effects, gamma‑ray bursts, asteroid fragments, or photographic errors—don’t fully account for their behavior. That leaves us with a mystery: what caused these fleeting lights?

Possible Explanations

Nuclear Testing Effects

• From 1951 to 1957, the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain conducted 124 above‑ground nuclear tests.
• Nuclear radiation can sometimes create visible glows, known as Cherenkov radiation.
• Witnesses reported glowing “fireballs” in the sky after certain tests, especially in areas with heavy fallout.
• Hypothesis: Some transients may have been unrecognized atmospheric effects linked to nuclear detonations.

UAP Near Nuclear Sites

• Military records and newspapers describe metallic, unknown objects appearing around nuclear test dates.
• UAP sightings are often reported near nuclear facilities.
• Hypothesis: If these objects were metallic, they could reflect sunlight or emit light, appearing as transients in orbit.

UAP Beyond Nuclear Context

• Transients may also connect to broader UAP sightings.
• Example: POSS‑I images from July 19 and July 27, 1952 show multiple bright transients.
• These dates match the famous Washington, D.C. “flying saucer” incidents, where UAP were tracked visually and on radar.
• Hypothesis: Some transients could be UAP in orbit, later descending into the atmosphere and sparking sightings.

The Study

Researchers built a database of over 100,000 transients from POSS‑I survey images. They tested two main associations:

1. Nuclear test dates (public records).
2. UAP reports (from the UFOCAT database).

Findings

• Nuclear tests occurred on 124 days (4.6%) during the study period.
• UAP reports were logged on 2,428 days (89.3%).
• On UAP‑reporting days, the average number of independent sightings was about 3–4 reports.
• UAP reports were significantly higher during nuclear testing windows compared to non‑testing periods.
  • Nuclear testing window average: 3.68 reports
  • Non‑testing window average: 3.31 reports
  • Statistical analysis confirmed this difference was unlikely to be random.

Takeaway

The evidence suggests a possible link between nuclear testing, UAP sightings, and transient star‑like objects in old sky surveys. While errors and noise are expected in both datasets, the correlations are strong enough to warrant deeper investigation.