arXiv:2507.15896astro-ph.SR
On the Image Profiles of Transients in the Palomar Sky Survey
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Abstract
The VASCO project has discovered groups of short-lived transients on historical photographic plates that lack conventional explanation. Hambly & Blair (2024) examined nine such transients reported by Villarroel (2021) and found that they exhibit narrower, rounder profiles, attributing this to emulsion flaws. However, well-established optical principles and atmospheric physics imply that unresolved flashes lasting less than a second naturally appear sharper and more circular than stellar images, particularly on long-exposure plates where stars are significantly blurred by seeing and tracking errors. Such profiles are an expected consequence of sub-second optical flashes, making their findings consistent with the transient interpretation.
And then there's Beatriz Villarroel which basically did the reverse. https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.15896 https://www.wired.com/story/the-search-for-alien-artifacts-i...
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