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Mysterious “star-like” flashes of light seen in photographs from sky surveys in the 1950s have long been linked to reports of sightings of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs.
These flashes, lasting less than about 50 minutes, are visible in one photograph, but disappear before the next photograph of the same sky area is taken.
Proposed explanations for this anomaly range from asteroids to unidentified paranormal phenomena or (UAPs), the new official name for UFOs.
But now, scientists have found a strong connection between these flashes and above-ground nuclear weapons testing.
In a new study published in the journal scientific report, The researchers analyzed historical photographs taken during the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-I) between 1949 and 1957, before the launch of Sputnik, the world’s first satellite.
Photos taken during this sky survey show many mysterious bright spots Which either disappeared completely or shone in the sky for some time.
In the study, researchers compiled a dataset of 2,718 days and compared the dates of such transient sightings with above-ground nuclear tests and UAP reports.
Scientists found that these flashes, or transients, were 45 percent more likely to be observed on dates within a day of a nuclear weapon test than on dates outside the nuclear testing window.
“The results revealed a significant association between nuclear testing and the observed changes,” the researchers wrote.
“From 1951 to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, at least 124 above-ground nuclear tests were conducted by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain,” the researchers say.
As people independently reported UFO sightings, the number of these fleeting flashes captured on camera also increased.
The researchers found that the total amount of transient activity increased by more than 8 percent after each additional UFO sighting was reported.
They wrote, “Our findings provide additional empirical support for the validity of the UAP phenomenon and its potential connection with nuclear weapons activity, contributing data beyond eyewitness reports.”
While the latest study doesn’t pinpoint the exact cause of transient space objects or the nature of UFOs, the findings link them to nuclear testing and help debunk some theories.
For example, the connection with nuclear tests implies that transient flashes are not photographic plate defects.
Since the momentary flashes are observed a day after nuclear tests, they cannot be debris from the bombs, which spread across the sky immediately after the explosion.
Scientists say, however, that the findings suggest a connection “beyond chance” between the occurrence of such momentary flashes in the sky and both the nuclear test and the UAP reports.
They concluded that some as yet undocumented atmospheric phenomena resulting from nuclear explosions or related to nuclear fallout may serve as a stimulus for some UAP reports.