Fast Astronomical Transients in Archival Photographic Plates: Using optical aberrations as a tool for discerning real images, from plate artifacts
2026/06/06 by Ivo Busko · 8 voices · 1 citation
#astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf
Abstract
The detection of fast astronomical transients in photographic plates from the Palomar sky surveys conducted in the 1950s, was subject to the criticism that such transients could be just the effect of otherwise unaccounted for plate artifacts. In this paper, we show that transient images exhibit the coma aberration pattern expected from off-axis point sources recorded through the telescope optics, a signature that plate artifacts cannot naturally reproduce. Although the data does not by themselves establish the physical origin of the light that generated the images, they lend support to hypotheses that do not rely on instrumental effects to explain transients.
Citations
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Discussions
- Using Optical Aberrations to Distinguish Real Astronomical Transients [hn, 38 points, 2 comments]
- Ivo Busko's study shows that fast astronomical transients in archival photographic plates exhibit a coma aberration pattern, indicating they are likely real rather than artifacts, thus supporting hypo [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- Using Optical Aberrations to Distinguish Real Astronomical Transients https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.08319 (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48462184) [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- Optical Aberration Analysis Corroborates Villarroel Transient Study: Real Objects, Not Plate Defects via arXiv (astro-ph.IM) https://didyousee.xyz/link/92 #villarroel #transients #palomar #opticalaber [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- @skeptoid.bsky.social @briandunning.bsky.social @skepticalscience.bsky.social More "optical transient"...noise? 🤔 arxiv.org/pdf/2606.08319 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- A paper about distinguishing miscellaneous artefacts from real stars (& similar). It turns out just to require close examination. "[W]e show that transient images exhibit the coma aberration pattern e [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- Using Optical Aberrations to Distinguish Real Astronomical Transients https:// arxiv.org/abs/2606.08319 # arxiv [mastodon, 0 points, 0 comments]
- Using Optical Aberrations to Distinguish Real Astronomical Transients https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.08319 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
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