A fascinating research paper regarding transient light sources detected by the Palomar Observatory between 1949 and 1957 has provided an apparent link between these events, UFO reports and above-ground nuclear testing.

The paper is described in this excellent article published on Aug. 8, 2025, in IFLScience. https://www.iflscience.com/uap-researchers-search-for-transient-events-in-earths-shadow-finding-unexplained-events-80323.

Also, here is a link to the paper itself, posted on July 25 on the website Research Square, https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6347224/v1.

The researchers analyzed data regarding “transient star-like objects of unknown origin” that were identified in the first Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.

Basically, the bottom line is that there are statistically significant correlations between these fleeting points of light, nuclear testing and UFO reports, notably the 1952 UFO flap over Washington D.C.

Importantly, the paper specifies that these transient lights were recorded before the launch of any artificial satellites. However, I would like to add the caveat, “that we know of …”

I have speculated that the sensational 1952 UFO encounters over Washington actually represent a huge milestone in U.S. military history, the testing of a top-secret Pentagon weapons platform that harnessed a different type of propulsion technology and that these demonstrations were ordered by then President Harry Truman. After all, Truman had ordered a similar demonstration over Washington for the experimental Flying Wing aircraft in 1949. I further speculate that the reason the 1952 UFO event occurred on two consecutive weekends in July was that the president was not satisfied with the first demonstration of this technology, so a second demonstration was ordered.

At any rate, the research also draws an intriguing link between the transient points of light detected by the observatory and above-ground nuclear tests. While the UFO community has long speculated that space aliens have been monitoring nuclear testing, I suggest the UFOs were actually top-secret Pentagon platforms that were used in conjunction with nuclear testing, perhaps for observation and data collection or for security purposes.

Of course, this is all wild conjecture, but this paper would appear to represent important scientific data linking transient light sources with UFOs and nuclear weapons tests. Kudos to the researchers and IFLScience!