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
1,901–1,950 of 256,282 · All objects seen in the 7 nights
ObjectClassLast magRisePeakFirst seenLast seenNightsDetectionsRel.RA, DecPartner
ZTF ZTF26abxswgc Solar System MPC18.69 r—18.692026-09-262026-09-26110.99126.1872, 19.1769
ZTF ZTF26abxswgd Solar System MPC18.37 r—18.372026-09-262026-09-26111.00125.9989, 18.9628
ZTF ZTF26abxswgs Solar System MPC16.22 r—16.222026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.7513, 19.8970
ZTF ZTF26abxswgt Solar System MPC16.90 r—16.902026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.9940, 19.9794
ZTF ZTF26abxswgu Solar System MPC16.99 r—16.992026-09-262026-09-26111.00128.2506, 19.9217
ZTF ZTF26abxswhu Solar System MPC19.05 r—19.052026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.8438, 24.1783
ZTF ZTF26abxswlh Solar System MPC18.18 r—18.182026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.0610, 20.1915
ZTF ZTF26abxswli Solar System MPC18.36 r—18.362026-09-262026-09-26111.00126.6823, 20.5306
ZTF ZTF26abxswnb Solar System candidate18.48 r—18.482026-09-262026-09-26110.01123.6519, 20.2326
ZTF ZTF26abxswnl Unknown18.85 r+0.118.852026-06-092026-09-26110.96123.9111, 19.7502
ZTF ZTF26abxswno Unknown19.43 r+0.219.432019-01-312026-09-26110.98123.8082, 19.7596
ZTF ZTF26abxswrt Solar System MPC14.34 r—14.342026-09-262026-09-26111.00126.6074, 21.2284
ZTF ZTF26abxswru Solar System MPC16.98 r—16.982026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.0974, 21.0509
ZTF ZTF26abxswrv Solar System MPC18.20 r—18.202026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.1703, 20.9318
ZTF ZTF26abxswrw Solar System MPC18.63 r—18.632026-09-262026-09-26111.00126.7187, 20.8049
ZTF ZTF26abxswyc Solar System MPC18.09 r—18.092026-09-262026-09-26111.00127.6351, 21.7720
ZTF ZTF26abxswyj Solar System MPC18.86 r—18.862026-09-262026-09-26110.99127.5478, 22.3776
ZTF ZTF26abxsxaz Solar System MPC15.37 r+7.015.372026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.7243, 19.5155
ZTF ZTF26abxsxba Solar System MPC18.24 r—18.242022-11-042026-09-26111.00125.1026, 19.4140
ZTF ZTF26abxsxbb Solar System MPC18.46 r—18.462026-09-262026-09-26111.00125.3551, 19.4860
ZTF ZTF26abxsxbc Solar System MPC18.51 r—18.512026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.6596, 18.8639
ZTF ZTF26abxsxdq Solar System MPC18.54 r—18.542026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.4555, 23.6789
ZTF ZTF26abxsxem Solar System MPC18.34 r—18.342026-09-262026-09-26110.97126.9377, 19.0890
ZTF ZTF26abxsxfw Solar System MPC18.75 r—18.752026-09-262026-09-26111.00125.6988, 21.3687
ZTF ZTF26abxsxgm Solar System MPC19.10 r—19.102026-09-262026-09-26110.95125.8904, 21.5826
ZTF ZTF26abxsxgn Solar System MPC19.21 r—19.212026-09-262026-09-26111.00126.2014, 21.2024
ZTF ZTF26abxsxgz Solar System MPC18.72 r—18.722026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.7159, 22.0026
ZTF ZTF26abxsxjn Solar System MPC17.89 r—17.892026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.0704, 21.4340
ZTF ZTF26abxsxjq Solar System MPC18.65 r—18.652026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.6804, 20.9253
ZTF ZTF26abxsxjt Solar System MPC19.01 r—19.012026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.6271, 21.5122
ZTF ZTF26abxsxju Solar System MPC19.15 r+2.619.152026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.6951, 21.2188
ZTF ZTF26abxsxok Solar System MPC16.99 r—16.992026-09-262026-09-26111.00122.8812, 21.7671
ZTF ZTF26abxsxom Solar System MPC18.17 r—18.172026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.9979, 21.6359
ZTF ZTF26abxsxon Solar System MPC18.90 r—18.902026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.4809, 22.2119
ZTF ZTF26abxsxoo Solar System MPC19.26 r—19.262026-09-262026-09-26110.18123.3339, 21.6818
ZTF ZTF26abxsxoq Solar System MPC19.18 r—19.182026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.6133, 22.0408
ZTF ZTF26abxsxpw Solar System MPC18.57 r—18.572026-09-262026-09-26110.98125.8083, 22.0503
ZTF ZTF26abxsxrn Solar System MPC17.84 r—17.842026-09-262026-09-26111.00125.0185, 21.2440
ZTF ZTF26abxsxro Solar System MPC18.45 r—18.452026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.9832, 21.3599
ZTF ZTF26abxsxrp Solar System MPC18.31 r—18.312026-09-262026-09-26111.00124.7411, 20.7517
ZTF ZTF26abxsyag Solar System MPC18.32 r—18.322026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.8655, 20.8427
ZTF ZTF26abxsyai Solar System MPC19.16 r—19.162026-09-262026-09-26110.99123.7317, 21.1007
ZTF ZTF26abxsyaj Solar System MPC19.11 r—19.112026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.5828, 21.4373
ZTF ZTF26abxsyal Solar System MPC18.55 r—18.552026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.6854, 21.4099
ZTF ZTF26abxsyan Solar System MPC19.24 r—19.242026-09-262026-09-26111.00123.8028, 21.0032
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwbk EclBinfaded r−0.417.272017-12-142026-09-2654811.00122.3529, 2.1434
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwcy EclBin18.17 r+0.218.132017-12-142026-09-2664811.00120.2192, 1.6347
ZTF ZTF17aaajcuq EclBinfaded r−0.215.402017-12-142026-09-2610120.99121.2741, 2.4115
ZTF ZTF17aaajcvj EclBinfaded r−0.117.682017-12-142026-09-2651751.00122.1539, 4.0565
ZTF ZTF17aaajgdh RRLyrae17.68 r+0.317.462017-12-142026-09-2651781.00125.5221, -0.3147