Maunakea: a spiral after a rocket launch
A night-sky camera recorded an expanding luminous spiral.
An explanation existsSubaru Observatory, Hawaiʻi Island
Atlas of mysteries
Items: 143Space and signals
Meteorites, mysterious signals and unusual sounds.
Hunga Tonga: waves around the planet
A volcanic explosion left an atmospheric signature far beyond the Pacific.
An explanation existsHunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai
SGR 1935+2154: a radio flash inside our Galaxy
On 28 April 2020 independent instruments recorded a short radio signal and a high-energy burst from the same direction.
An explanation existsDirection of Galactic magnetar SGR 1935+2154
BLC1: a signal toward Proxima that turned out to be interference
A narrow band, frequency drift and disappearance in comparison observations made the signal interesting. Further tests revealed a different origin.
An explanation existsDirection of Proxima Centauri in Parkes data
Bering Sea: a fireball recorded from orbit
The aftermath of a powerful airburst was studied above a remote marine region.
An explanation existsNorthern Pacific Ocean
Oumuamua: an interstellar visitor and the limits of interpretation
The first recognized interstellar object showed unusual brightness variations and slight non-gravitational acceleration, prompting debate about its physical nature.
Under reviewPassage through the inner Solar System
FRB 121102: locating the galaxy behind brief radio flashes
Repeating radio bursts turned a broad sky direction into an association with a particular small galaxy.
An explanation existsExtragalactic source FRB 121102
Chelyabinsk: a fireball and a shock wave
A morning sky event documented by numerous recordings and satellite observations.
An explanation existsChelyabinsk region
Sudan: an asteroid predicted before impact
Observations in space were connected to a fireball and recovered meteorites.
An explanation existsNubian Desert, Almahata Sitta region
The Lorimer burst: milliseconds in an archive, recognized six years later
Parkes recorded the pulse on July 24, 2001; archival analysis discovered it in 2007. It became the first known fast radio burst, although the specific source object remains unidentified.
Under reviewRadio source near the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud