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.

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

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
Survey
Bucket
Clear
1,001–1,050 of 255,900 · All objects seen in the 7 nights
ObjectClassLast magPeakFirst seenLast seenNightsAlertsRel.RA, DecPartner
ZTF ZTF18acuqyfr Unknown17.27 r17.272018-11-262026-09-26330.93131.3969, -0.4879
ZTF ZTF18acurmtx EclBinfaded r19.112018-11-172026-09-2620211.00132.4862, 0.8402
ZTF ZTF18acurpnb EclBinfaded r17.812018-11-072026-09-2618231.00126.5698, 4.4091
ZTF ZTF18acurpqk Unknown17.09 r17.092018-04-022026-09-2622251.00126.8883, 1.7833
ZTF ZTF18acvvswp Starfaded r—2018-11-252026-09-26660.92127.6630, -0.1558
ZTF ZTF18acvvupr Variable*16.69 r16.692018-11-082026-09-2611121.00126.3814, 1.4784
ZTF ZTF18acvvupu RadioGAT 2019dnifaded r19.462018-11-082026-09-26591.00126.0755, 1.6777
ZTF ZTF18acvwhjt EclBinfaded r—2018-01-132026-09-2612171.00126.3551, 1.8723
ZTF ZTF18acvwhva Unknown18.23 r18.232018-12-092026-09-26551.00126.6873, 2.3237
ZTF ZTF18acwwkpz Unknown15.99 r15.992018-11-172026-09-26551.00130.1215, -2.1787
ZTF ZTF18acwwkqi Unknown17.00 r17.002018-11-082026-09-2613131.00131.6173, -1.9932
ZTF ZTF18acwwkzz Unknown18.55 r18.282018-12-162026-09-2649681.00129.0756, 0.7813
ZTF ZTF18aczeicx Starfaded r17.702018-11-082026-09-2623291.00128.0133, 4.0665
ZTF ZTF18adayzkg EclBinfaded r18.132017-12-142026-09-2628351.00127.4809, 2.4724
ZTF ZTF18adphxzp Star17.62 r17.622018-11-202026-09-26111.00126.0178, -0.6870
ZTF ZTF18adpwsxl Unknownfaded r—2018-12-202026-09-2619191.00130.8249, -1.1967
ZTF ZTF19aaadrgc Unknownfaded r—2018-11-082026-09-26110.87128.1349, -1.3752
ZTF ZTF19aaadrge EclBin18.35 r18.222017-12-182026-09-2623291.00127.8973, -1.4812
ZTF ZTF19aaadrzc Unknownfaded r18.932019-01-032026-09-2620251.00129.5132, 3.2510
ZTF ZTF19aabvzkj Variable*faded r17.722018-04-022026-09-2642541.00126.7182, 1.7471
ZTF ZTF19aabwrgm AGB*_Candidate13.61 r13.612018-12-092026-09-26110.09131.2385, -0.4453
ZTF ZTF19aadljig EclBin16.38 r15.712018-11-082026-09-2619241.00129.3753, 2.1192
ZTF ZTF19aaernsp Unknown18.32 r18.002018-11-082026-09-26581.00126.9437, 1.2394
ZTF ZTF19aanoqnv EclBin17.65 r17.242017-12-142026-09-26481.00130.7318, -1.5592
ZTF ZTF19aapcugi Star17.83 r17.582019-04-082026-09-2617181.00128.0932, -1.4473
ZTF ZTF19aasxqet Unknownfaded r17.922019-03-192026-09-26361.00126.6368, 3.1719
ZTF ZTF19acajlpy Unknown17.78 r17.782018-11-072026-09-26441.00127.4186, 1.7518
ZTF ZTF19accsnld AGN19.36 r19.362018-11-082026-09-2610171.00126.9679, 1.2215
ZTF ZTF19acekbft Unknown14.60 r14.602019-03-162026-09-26110.01130.7387, -0.5148
ZTF ZTF19adojfkd Unknownfaded r—2019-10-272026-09-26111.00131.8121, 0.2222
ZTF ZTF20aaejtcc EclBinfaded r19.542018-12-092026-09-26331.00128.0606, 3.0328
ZTF ZTF20aaluapx BLLacAT 2019wdnfaded r17.012018-11-072026-09-265211.00127.9537, 4.4941
ZTF ZTF20aalvuvn EclBinfaded r17.992018-11-072026-09-263131.00126.4833, 4.4961
ZTF ZTF20aamqjrl Unknownfaded r—2020-02-122026-09-26231.00131.0622, -1.6067
ZTF ZTF20aaohkra Unknown17.68 r17.572019-01-122026-09-2626311.00127.3483, -0.2424
ZTF ZTF20aardtco EclBin14.31 r14.312018-01-112026-09-26110.00129.5536, 2.9929
ZTF ZTF20aatvrqw CataclyV*faded r16.242019-02-262026-09-2615321.00131.0569, -1.4689
ZTF ZTF20acabdbb UnknownAT 2020lhvfaded r18.242018-11-082026-09-2633421.00127.1641, 2.4646
ZTF ZTF20acnexjr QSOfaded r19.612020-09-192026-09-2615161.00129.1279, 2.2888
ZTF ZTF20acojifz Unknown17.88 r17.882018-11-082026-09-26121.00128.2096, 4.4569
ZTF ZTF20acqgdvd RRLyrae18.93 r18.682018-12-292026-09-26351.00126.0964, -0.7705
ZTF ZTF20acqgdvg EclBinfaded r19.142019-02-262026-09-26341.00126.0547, -0.6794
ZTF ZTF21acdontl SupernovaSN IIfaded r19.232019-02-262026-09-265101.00130.4866, -0.0612
ZTF ZTF21achywbq Unknownfaded r19.162019-10-272026-09-2612131.00126.2313, 4.0323
ZTF ZTF22aadbsbl EclBinfaded r17.232018-11-082026-09-26371.00130.7709, -0.6988
ZTF ZTF22aadbtsc EclBin16.99 r16.242018-11-082026-09-26361.00126.9426, 2.7346
ZTF ZTF22aadccpi RRLyraefaded r16.572018-11-082026-09-26371.00129.0459, -0.7651
ZTF ZTF22aadccsg EclBin14.62 r14.622018-01-112026-09-26110.94126.6201, 3.6336
ZTF ZTF22aadccvn EclBinfaded r14.552018-11-082026-09-26331.00128.0863, 2.6061
ZTF ZTF22aadjgig Unknownfaded r17.302019-10-272026-09-265121.00131.7650, -0.7861