This is HUGE news. PhD astronomer and former NASA engineer Ivo Busko has single-handedly driven a final nail into the coffin of the contamination-based hypotheses (e.g. plate defects and cosmic rays) proposed to explain the VASCO transients. He did so using one of the most creative approaches in astronomy I have ever seen: by analysing pre-Sputnik photographic plates from a German telescope known to suffer from severe optical distortions (aberrations), he demonstrated that the transients appear on these plates and exhibit the same optical distortions as the stars themselves. They are slightly narrower and sharper than the stars, consistent with brief flashes. This is a crucial result. It shows that the transient light passed through the telescope optics, meaning the transients originate from real objects producing light, rather than from plate defects or cosmic-ray contamination that hit the plate. Dr Busko has also shown that the transients cluster spatially and are associated with periods close to nuclear tests. See the example of the triple transient with optical comas. This is the greatest gift. Congratulations, Ivo. I'm happy beyond belief. Read Ivo Busko's paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2606.08319

We are devastated by the passing of 3x NBA Champion and beloved broadcaster Stacey King.

SGA on upcoming roster decisions this offseason: “I’ll give zero input. I’ll let Sam Presti — the greatest GM ever — do his job.”