Photographs captured over seven decades ago could unlock new insights into the presence of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), commonly referred to as UFOs, particularly around nuclear testing areas.

Researchers at California’s Palomar Observatory have recently identified multiple instances of fleeting, star-like illuminations in photos from the 1950s. This finding, detailed in a paper published on October 20, 2025, in Nature’s Scientific Reports, suggests a potential link to UAP activity.

“We propose that some of these transient flashes might be UAPs orbiting Earth, which, upon entering the atmosphere, could be responsible for some UAP sightings,” the study suggests.

The investigation involved examining digitized astronomical plates—glass negatives capturing the night sky—collected during an initial survey by the observatory between 1949 and 1957. Importantly, these images were recorded before the first artificial satellite was launched in October 1957, as the report highlights.

Astronomer Beatriz Villarroel from the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics shared that she and her team employed automated technology to detect 107,875 transient lights captured over the 12-year period.

Astronomer Beatriz Villarroel from the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics revealed in the study that she and her research team used automated technology to identify 107,875 transient lights within the 12-year span of the images being taken. 

While many of the objects, which often look as though they are stars in the night sky, were determined to be errors or markings on the plates, thousands of sightings reportedly correspond with various nuclear tests and UFO sightings. 

The study notes that multiple bright transients were seen lighting up the night sky within the same two weeks when witnesses reported numerous UAPs above Washington, D.C., from July 19 to July 27, 1952.

The photographs show a connection between star-like transients being spotted near nuclear weapons activity and previous UAP sightings, according to the report.  (iStock)

“We speculate that some transients could potentially be UAP in Earth orbit that, if descending into the atmosphere, might provide the stimulus for some UAP sightings,” the paper added. 

Researchers also reportedly observed transients hovering over at least 124 above-ground nuclear testing sites that were active from 1951 until the launch of Sputnik in 1957, leading them to believe the phenomenon is a result of “high energy particles” within the atmosphere. 

However, the study indicates that transients were 45% more likely to be spotted within 24 hours of nuclear testing, with “significantly more” UAP sightings being recorded within the test windows. 

The report found that there are “small but statistically-significant associations” between transient sightings and nuclear testing events. (iStock)

The final sighting over a nuclear testing site took place on March 17, 1956, just one day after the “Joe 21” test conducted by Soviet Russia, according to The New York Post.

The study’s authors did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

The paper concludes with the researchers determining that instances of star-like transient objects correlating with nuclear weapons testing and eyewitness UAP accounts show “small but statistically-significant associations.” 

“Our findings provide additional empirical support for the validity of the UAP phenomenon and its potential connection to nuclear weapons activity, contributing data beyond eyewitness reports,” the scientists wrote.