Study of disappearing and emerging light sources. In search of potential extraterrestrial observers

 The research initiative led by Beatriz Villarroel, called Vanishing and Emerging Sources over a Century of Observation (VASCO), is a pioneering citizen science project, part of a broader effort called Project Galileo. The main goal of the project is to investigate the possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial objects observing the Earth by analyzing old photographic plates from the times before the era of artificial satellites. The research team hopes to identify objects that disappear and reappear over time, which could suggest their artificial origin

The VASCO project encourages the public to actively participate in online visual research and report any unusual findings. The joint effort aims to identify anomalous objects and events that may be associated with the activity of extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby seeking to investigate one of humanity's most important questions: whether we are alone in the Universe.

One of the challenges researchers face when searching for extraterrestrial objects in Earth's orbit is the presence of space debris that obscures visibility. To overcome this obstacle, the VASCO project uses data from sky observations made before the end of the 1950s, before the era of artificial satellites. Using this data can increase your chances of finding unusual objects.

Despite the promising nature of the project, scientists admit that there are many natural explanations for objects appearing and disappearing in the sky, such as meteors, comets, asteroids, variable stars, and data errors. Nevertheless, they hope that their efforts will lead to fascinating discoveries and perhaps even evidence of extraterrestrial intervention.

The VASCO project was inspired by a significant event in 1954 when the United States Air Force discovered two mysterious objects in orbit 600–800 km from Earth. After weeks of research, astronomer Lincoln La Paz determined that these objects were simply meteorites. This incident, however, initiated public interest and concern about the possible presence of artificial Earth satellites, especially after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957.

Research teams hope that the VASCO project will not only help unlock the secrets of the universe but also inspire scientific interest among the public. They believe that science projects like VASCO can contribute to the advancement of astronomy and astrobiology by deepening our understanding of our place in space.