https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-21620-3

Transient star-like objects of unknown origin have been identified in the first Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-I) conducted prior to the first artificial satellite. We tested speculative hypotheses that some transients are related to nuclear weapons testing or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) reports. A dataset containing daily data (11/19/49—4/28/57) regarding identified transients, nuclear testing, and UAP reports was created (n = 2,718 days). Results revealed significant (p = .008) associations between nuclear testing and observed transients, with transients 45% more likely on dates within + /- 1 day of nuclear testing.

These dates coincide with two consecutive weekends during which multiple UAP were observed for several hours both visually and on radar over Washington, D.C. 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.

This hypothesis is more speculative, drawing on a well-known strand of UAP lore suggesting that nuclear weapons may attract UAP.
While this alleged connection has been claimed for decades based on anecdotal evidence, it has until now lacked any systematic supporting data. Within this latter hypothesis, our results could be viewed as indicating that transients are artificial, reflective objects either in high-altitude orbits around Earth or at high altitudes within the atmosphere.