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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Open Journal of Astrophysics

Fast Astronomical Transients in Archival Photographic Plates: Using optical aberrations as a tool for discerning real images, from plate artifacts

  • Ivo Busko
Open at sourceDOICite

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.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{busko2026fast,
  title = {{Fast Astronomical Transients in Archival Photographic Plates: Using optical aberrations as a tool for discerning real images, from plate artifacts}},
  author = {Ivo Busko},
  journal = {The Open Journal of Astrophysics},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.33232/001c.172381},
  url = {https://astro.theoj.org/article/172381-fast-astronomical-transients-in-archival-photographic-plates-using-optical-aberrations-as-a-tool-for-discerning-real-images-from-plate-artifacts},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Fast Astronomical Transients in Archival Photographic Plates: Using optical aberrations as a tool for discerning real images, from plate artifacts
AU  - Ivo Busko
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
JO  - The Open Journal of Astrophysics
DO  - 10.33232/001c.172381
UR  - https://astro.theoj.org/article/172381-fast-astronomical-transients-in-archival-photographic-plates-using-optical-aberrations-as-a-tool-for-discerning-real-images-from-plate-artifacts
AB  - 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.
SN  - 2565-6120
ER  -