Photographs taken more than 70 years ago may provide crucial insights into the mysterious occurrences of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), also known as UFOs, especially around nuclear testing grounds.

Scientists at California’s Palomar Observatory have uncovered multiple instances of transient, star-like flashes in images dating back to the 1950s. This discovery, detailed in a research paper published in Nature’s Scientific Reports on October 20, 2025, has sparked renewed interest in these phenomena.

The paper suggests that some of these transients might be UAPs orbiting Earth, which, if entering the atmosphere, could help explain certain UAP sightings.

The research team analyzed digitized versions of astronomical plates, which are glass negatives capturing the night sky, from a survey conducted at the observatory between 1949 and 1957. Importantly, these images were taken before the launch of the first artificial satellite in October 1957, according to the report.

This intriguing study from Palomar Observatory highlights several recorded instances of transient, star-like flashes in 1950s photographs, an era preceding modern satellite technology. (iStock)

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.