Recent research has uncovered a surprising connection between reports of mysterious lights in the sky and historic nuclear tests conducted in the mid-20th century. A study led by anesthesiologist Stephen Bruehl from Vanderbilt University and theoretical physicist Beatriz Villarroel of Stockholm University suggests that the nuclear age has left observable traces in astronomical records, predating the Space Age.
The analysis focused on archival astronomical observations, specifically data collected by the Mount Palomar Observatory during its first-ever Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-I) between 1949 and 1958. This extensive project aimed to photograph and map the northern sky, revealing various points of light that appeared transiently. These transients were often attributed to defects in the glass photographic plates used at the time. However, Villarroel’s ongoing Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project has sought to identify real changes in the night sky based on a century of observations.
In a previous study published in 2021, Villarroel and her team found that not all transients could be easily explained by plate defects. Bruehl and Villarroel aimed to investigate whether some of these ambiguous transients were linked to anthropogenic or atmospheric phenomena, particularly focusing on above-ground nuclear testing occurring during that era.
The researchers compiled a dataset encompassing 2,718 days of observations, noting the days on which transients were recorded. They then cross-referenced these instances with the dates of known above-ground nuclear tests conducted by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain, as well as witness reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), previously known as UFOs, documented in the UFOCAT database.
The findings revealed that transients appeared in the sky 45 percent more frequently during a nuclear test window, which includes the day before and after a test. Notably, the day following a nuclear test showed a staggering 68 percent increase in the likelihood of transients appearing in the POSS-I data.
When examining UAP sightings alongside the transient data, the researchers noted a smaller yet intriguing connection. For each additional UAP report on a given day, the likelihood of a transient appearing increased by 8.5 percent. Additionally, UAP reports showed a slight rise during nuclear testing windows, marking a connection not previously substantiated in scientific literature.
While these results do not explain the correlations, they do suggest that both the transients and some UAP sightings are indeed real phenomena. Bruehl and Villarroel argue that if the transients were merely due to plate defects, it would be unlikely for them to cluster around specific dates as observed. Furthermore, the correlation between transients and UAPs, though small, exceeds what could be attributed to chance.
The researchers have ruled out several potential explanations for the transients. Given their increased frequency the day after nuclear tests, it is improbable that they were caused by lingering fallout. Additionally, observational bias is not a factor, as scientists were unaware of the existence of transients at the time, and the dates of nuclear tests were unknown to those reporting UAP sightings.
In their conclusion, Bruehl and Villarroel stated, “Regardless of what transients are ultimately determined to be, our results add to growing evidence supporting the interpretation of transients as real observations rather than as emulsion defects.” They emphasize the need for further investigation to fully understand the implications of these associations.
This research has been published in Scientific Reports, contributing to a growing body of evidence regarding the connections between nuclear activity and anomalous phenomena observed in the sky. Further studies are anticipated to shed more light on this intriguing intersection of history and science.
