A group of researchers, led by Beatriz Villarroel of the Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics and Stockholm University, have launched a citizen science project to look for evidence of non-terrestrial objects monitoring Earth, reports thedebrief.org.
The project, called Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO), aims to scan old photographic plates from sky surveys that predate the launch of man-made satellites in the late 1950s. The idea is to look for objects that appear and disappear over time, which could indicate an artificial origin.
The researchers hope to find anomalous objects and events that could be linked to extraterrestrial intelligence. They are also inviting the public to get involved by viewing the footage online and reporting any unusual findings.
The project is part of a larger initiative called the Galileo Project, which aims to scientifically investigate the nature and origin of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).
One of the challenges of searching for non-terrestrial objects in Earth’s orbit is the amount of debris cluttering the space around our planet today. By using data from before the Space Race, the researchers hope to avoid this problem and increase their chances of finding something unusual.
However, they also recognize that there are many possible natural explanations for transient objects in the sky, such as meteors, comets, asteroids, variable stars and disturbances in the data.
The VASCO project was inspired by a historic incident that occurred in 1954, when the US Air Force discovered two mysterious objects orbiting between 400 and 600 miles from Earth.
After weeks of research, astronomer Lincoln La Paz determined that they were just meteors. However, this event sparked public interest and fear about the possibility of artificial satellites, especially after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957.
“We expect the project to yield many interesting findings over time,” reads a statement on the VASCO Network website, “perhaps even some anomalous objects and events – could aliens be responsible for any of these? ”
The researchers hope their project will shed new light on whether we are alone in the universe, or whether there are other civilizations that have visited or are watching us. They also hope to stimulate the public’s curiosity and scientific literacy and contribute to the advancement of astronomy and astrobiology.
