Transient Explorer

What am I looking at?

Every night the Rubin (LSST) and ZTF telescopes image the sky and flag anything that changed since last time: a supernova going off, a star flaring, an asteroid passing through. Each flag is an alert. The Fink broker classifies them, and this site shows what they are and where. Transients the two surveys miss, reported by others to the Transient Name Server, are here too.

Sources

  • ZTF and Rubin: objects the surveys alerted on. Each detection is an alert, with the broker's classification, a reliability score and three image cutouts.
  • TNS: transients reported to the Transient Name Server that neither survey alerted on, among them nearly every bright one south of −30°, which ZTF cannot see. Each detection is a report: the magnitudes reported to TNS (the discovery, and any later ones), each in its reporter's filter, then ATLAS's measurements (c and o bands) for two months while it is brighter than 19. Reported by names the surveys (ATLAS, GOTO, Pan-STARRS, …). When ZTF or Rubin later alerts on one, it becomes their object.
  • CBAT: reports on the Central Bureau's Transient Object Confirmation Page that neither the surveys nor TNS have, mostly bright Galactic novae (PNV J…) and dwarf novae in outburst (TCP J…). An object that matches a TOCP entry shows its designation.
  • A TNS type (SN Ia, Nova, AGN, …) decides an object's class whoever saw it; without one, the broker's label does.
  • An object is active while it has detections in the window. A TNS or CBAT object ATLAS does not measure (fainter than 19, older than two months, or not yet measured) is active only while the window holds its last report, so it leaves the short windows a week later.

Pages

  • Dashboard: how many alerts and objects arrived in a window, what kinds, where on the sky, and the brightest new supernova candidates.
  • Sky: the map. Most of what follows is about it.
  • Objects: the same objects as a table you can sort, filter by the broker's label or TNS type, and page through; click one for its light curve and images.
  • Tonight: a planner for your telescope. Pick your site and telescope, and it lists the supernovae, novae and new objects seen this week that are above your horizon while it is dark and bright enough to see, sorted by when each is best placed, with finder charts, a CSV export and a printable list.

Search

  • An object id (ZTF26abvkmbu, a Rubin id, or the first few characters), a TNS name (SN 2026abc), coordinates (35.71 -4.75 or 02:22:50 -04:45:00, add r=10' for a radius), a deep-drilling field (COSMOS), a class (SN Ia, EclBin) or any name astronomers use (M31).

On the map: zoom to go deeper

  • Whole sky (wider than 20°): a heatmap of how many objects were seen in each patch of sky.
  • Region (1°–20°): a finer heatmap plus numbered badges. The number is the count of objects, the color is their most common class, and a white ring means something new in the last night.
  • Objects (under 1°): one dot per object. A white ring means it was seen last night, and a white center means it has been detected only once so far. Click a dot for its light curve, classification and images.

Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, or click a badge to zoom into it.

Filters

  • Window: how far back to look, from last night to a year.
  • Active / new: objects detected in the window, or only those first seen in it.
  • Class: most alerts are solar-system objects (asteroids). Pick Non-Solar System to hide them and see what else is out there.
  • Brightness (≤ 20, ≤ 18, ≤ 16): only objects at least that bright. Smaller magnitudes are brighter. An object marked faded was last seen fainter than in the survey's reference image, so it has no brightness of its own and counts only under any mag.
  • History (2+ nights, …): only objects seen on several nights, which filters out one-off artifacts.

Observing from your site

  • Your site: an observatory from the list, or your latitude and longitude (typed, or Use my location). A position is rounded to half a degree, and the site is remembered in this browser only.
  • Object panel: when the object is up tonight, its altitude through the night with the moon, the next 60 nights, and a Finder chart with a link to AAVSO's comparison stars.
  • Objects: Visible from… keeps what is above your limit in tonight's dark window, with when and how high.
  • Sky: Observer… shades what is below your horizon at a time you pick; the counts do not change.

Dark means the sun more than 12° below the horizon (18° if you choose). Positions ignore refraction and precession, a few tenths of a degree: enough to plan, not to point.

Classes

  • SN candidate
  • AGN / nuclear
  • Variable star
  • Solar system
  • Cataloged
  • Unknown
  • Low reliability
  • Other

Data credits

Fink: ZTF and Rubin alerts: classifications, light curves and cutouts
Möller et al. 2021, MNRAS 501, 3272; ZTF (Bellm et al. 2019) and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory LSST.
Transient Name Server (TNS): names, types and discovery reports of transients from every survey
The IAU Transient Name Server, operated by the Weizmann Institute of Science; reports by the surveys named on each object.
CBAT: the Transient Object Confirmation Page: bright novae and other transients reported to the Central Bureau
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, Transient Object Confirmation Page (TOCP).
ATLAS: forced photometry of TNS objects, from the ATLAS forced-photometry server
Tonry et al. 2018, PASP 130, 064505; Smith et al. 2020, PASP 132, 085002; Shingles et al. 2021, TNS AstroNote 2021-7.
CDS, Strasbourg: sky imagery (HiPS), finder charts (hips2fits) and name resolution (Sesame)
This research has made use of the CDS services, Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, France.

The data is refreshed nightly. Every view is a link: on the map the URL records the position, zoom, filters and selected object, so Copy link shares exactly what you see.

Made by jgriz

Objects

Objects
Source
Bucket
Clear
1,751–1,800 of 256,283 · All objects seen in the 7 nights
ObjectClassLast magPeakFirst seenLast seenNightsDetectionsRel.RA, DecPartner
ZTF ZTF26abxsvoz Solar System MPC19.26 r19.262026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.6105, 9.5276
ZTF ZTF26abxsvqo Solar System MPC17.67 r17.672026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.1710, 11.5806
ZTF ZTF26abxsvqs Solar System MPC16.68 r16.682026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.4490, 8.8939
ZTF ZTF26abxsvqw Solar System MPC17.53 r17.532026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.0047, 8.6782
ZTF ZTF26abxsxip Solar System MPC19.28 r19.282026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.3212, 7.5361
ZTF ZTF26abxsxug Solar System MPC18.57 r18.572026-09-262026-09-26111.00125.8305, 7.7311
ZTF ZTF26abxsysp Tracklet16.29 r16.292026-09-262026-09-26110.01124.1986, 7.8312
ZTF ZTF26abxsysq Tracklet16.34 r16.342026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1925, 7.8321
ZTF ZTF26abxsysr Tracklet16.43 r16.432026-09-262026-09-26110.07124.2290, 7.8260
ZTF ZTF26abxsyst Tracklet16.44 r16.442026-09-262026-09-26110.04124.2169, 7.8281
ZTF ZTF26abxsysu Tracklet16.36 r16.362026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2107, 7.8290
ZTF ZTF26abxsysv Tracklet16.30 r16.302026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.2536, 7.8220
ZTF ZTF26abxsysw Tracklet16.44 r16.442026-09-262026-09-26110.02124.1621, 7.8373
ZTF ZTF26abxsysx Tracklet16.37 r16.372026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2047, 7.8300
ZTF ZTF26abxsysy Tracklet16.35 r16.352026-09-262026-09-26110.34124.1502, 7.8393
ZTF ZTF26abxsysz Tracklet16.44 r16.442026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2351, 7.8250
ZTF ZTF26abxsyta Tracklet16.40 r16.402026-09-262026-09-26110.03124.1865, 7.8331
ZTF ZTF26abxsytb Tracklet16.50 r16.502026-09-262026-09-26110.18124.1562, 7.8387
ZTF ZTF26abxsytc Tracklet17.90 r17.902026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2016, 7.8306
ZTF ZTF26abxsytd Tracklet17.91 r17.912026-09-262026-09-26110.07124.1895, 7.8327
ZTF ZTF26abxsyte Tracklet17.86 r17.862026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2322, 7.8257
ZTF ZTF26abxsytf Tracklet17.96 r17.962026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1591, 7.8379
ZTF ZTF26abxsytg Tracklet17.81 r17.812026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1956, 7.8315
ZTF ZTF26abxsyth Tracklet17.84 r17.842026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1834, 7.8338
ZTF ZTF26abxsyti Tracklet17.88 r17.882026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2198, 7.8275
ZTF ZTF26abxsytj Tracklet17.87 r17.872026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1712, 7.8360
ZTF ZTF26abxsytk Tracklet17.91 r17.912026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2382, 7.8245
ZTF ZTF26abxsytl Tracklet18.01 r18.012026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.1532, 7.8390
ZTF ZTF26abxsytm Tracklet18.04 r18.042026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2140, 7.8288
ZTF ZTF26abxsytn Tracklet17.95 r17.952026-09-262026-09-26110.00124.2077, 7.8296
ZTF ZTF18aaacujh EclBin17.91 r17.762017-12-202026-09-2656671.00128.5012, 30.1730
ZTF ZTF18aabqzgl EclBinfaded r18.582018-02-252026-09-2613151.00127.4652, 26.7155
ZTF ZTF18aaeogfj Unknownfaded r13.702018-04-192026-09-26861150.95127.4493, 26.7729
ZTF ZTF18acmsdmb Unknown16.24 r16.242018-11-052026-09-26110.73128.2067, 26.1015
ZTF ZTF18acsoqav Seyfert2faded r18.672018-11-052026-09-26781361.00129.5348, 26.5983
ZTF ZTF25aaniwva Unknown13.80 r13.632024-05-112026-09-2666981.00127.4465, 26.7714
ZTF ZTF26abxsvxs Solar System MPC15.40 r15.402026-09-262026-09-26111.00130.8064, 26.1747
ZTF ZTF26abxswlj Solar System MPC16.66 r16.662026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.1440, 26.3526
ZTF ZTF26abxswlk Solar System MPC18.60 r18.602026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.6851, 26.2763
ZTF ZTF26abxswok Solar System MPC18.65 r18.652026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.9781, 26.7014
ZTF ZTF26abxswol Unknown18.80 r18.802026-09-262026-09-26110.88128.2864, 26.1850
ZTF ZTF17aaagvrw RRLyrae18.88 r18.252017-12-142026-09-26721591.00127.3586, 21.5443
ZTF ZTF17aaagvuo EclBin16.36 r16.052017-12-142026-09-26651011.00122.5883, 22.2174
ZTF ZTF17aaagwau EclBinfaded r16.932017-12-142026-09-2657771.00125.2036, 20.4630
ZTF ZTF17aaagwdi RRLyraefaded r17.072017-12-142026-09-2659841.00123.5370, 21.6559
ZTF ZTF17aaaioyb RRLyraefaded r17.072017-12-142026-09-2658811.00123.7339, 20.0712
ZTF ZTF17aaakubc EclBinfaded r16.342017-12-142026-09-2640581.00122.8788, 22.8841
ZTF ZTF17aaakuct EclBin16.72 r16.722017-12-142026-09-26551.00125.8507, 24.2590
ZTF ZTF17aaakuhr CataclyV*16.64 r15.892017-12-142026-09-26861461.00123.2370, 19.1992
ZTF ZTF17aaantsv EclBin17.82 r17.822017-12-152026-09-26551.00125.5009, 24.1588