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
2,351–2,400 of 214,523 · All objects seen in the 7 nights
ObjectClassLast magRisePeakFirst seenLast seenNightsDetectionsRel.RA, DecPartner
ZTF ZTF26abyanli Solar System MPC19.04 r—19.042026-09-292026-09-29111.00128.4766, 23.3134
ZTF ZTF26abyanlk Solar System MPC19.18 r—19.182022-09-032026-09-29111.00124.7074, 24.7469
ZTF ZTF26abyanll Solar System MPC19.01 r—19.012026-09-292026-09-29111.00127.8628, 23.5765
ZTF ZTF26abyanly Solar System MPC18.83 r—18.832026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.3153, 27.6657
ZTF ZTF26abyannd Solar System MPC15.42 r—15.422026-09-292026-09-29111.00130.9187, 22.8949
ZTF ZTF26abyanng Solar System MPC17.78 r—17.782026-09-292026-09-29111.00130.8171, 22.5686
ZTF ZTF26abyanni Solar System MPC18.25 r—18.252026-09-292026-09-29111.00130.9241, 22.9939
ZTF ZTF26abyannk Solar System MPC18.85 r—18.852026-09-292026-09-29110.99126.5037, 23.7830
ZTF ZTF26abyannm Solar System MPC15.02 r—15.022026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.7027, 22.6179
ZTF ZTF26abyannn Solar System MPC16.67 r—16.672019-12-292026-09-29111.00126.0403, 22.5148
ZTF ZTF26abyanno Solar System MPC18.63 r—18.632026-09-292026-09-29111.00126.5401, 22.6488
ZTF ZTF26abyannp Solar System MPC19.11 r—19.112026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.9669, 22.6502
ZTF ZTF26abyanoe Solar System MPC16.54 r—16.542026-09-292026-09-29111.00127.1251, 27.3753
ZTF ZTF26abyanof Solar System MPC17.75 r—17.752026-09-292026-09-29111.00126.9991, 27.4764
ZTF ZTF26abyanog Solar System MPC18.26 r—18.262026-09-292026-09-29111.00126.9087, 27.9546
ZTF ZTF26abyanqi Solar System MPC13.21 r—13.212026-09-292026-09-29111.00126.4796, 25.5598
ZTF ZTF26abyanqp Solar System MPC19.49 r—19.492026-09-292026-09-29111.00126.0782, 29.6686
ZTF ZTF26abyanro Solar System MPC16.32 r—16.322026-09-292026-09-29111.00129.1229, 22.5870
ZTF ZTF26abyanrq Solar System MPC18.16 r—18.162026-09-292026-09-29110.89129.4992, 23.1089
ZTF ZTF26abyanrr Solar System MPC18.82 r—18.822026-09-292026-09-29111.00129.0473, 22.8563
ZTF ZTF26abyanrt Solar System MPC18.92 r—18.922026-09-292026-09-29111.00128.7995, 22.8716
ZTF ZTF26abyanru Solar System MPC19.03 r—19.032026-09-292026-09-29111.00129.1143, 22.5261
ZTF ZTF26abyanrw Solar System MPC19.25 r—19.252026-09-292026-09-29111.00128.9832, 22.8570
ZTF ZTF26abyanux Solar System MPC19.14 r—19.142026-09-292026-09-29111.00131.7665, 23.8663
ZTF ZTF26abyanvk Solar System MPC18.78 r+4.118.782026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.7085, 26.8839
ZTF ZTF26abyanvn Solar System MPC19.08 r—19.082026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.9373, 26.6001
ZTF ZTF26abyanxi Solar System MPC18.37 r—18.372026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.1242, 23.5737
ZTF ZTF26abyanxj Solar System MPC18.69 r—18.692026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.8931, 23.7365
ZTF ZTF26abyanxl Solar System MPC19.10 r—19.102026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.1756, 23.5513
ZTF ZTF26abyaobz Solar System MPC16.78 r—16.782026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.6504, 25.8013
ZTF ZTF26abyaoca Solar System MPC17.98 r—17.982026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.7870, 25.7226
ZTF ZTF26abyaock Solar System MPC19.36 r—19.362026-09-292026-09-29111.00125.2896, 25.6867
ZTF ZTF26abyaocl Solar System MPC19.50 r—19.502026-09-292026-09-29110.01125.3019, 25.5087
ZTF ZTF26abyaocu Solar System MPC18.16 r—18.162026-09-292026-09-29111.00130.3793, 22.7371
ZTF ZTF26abyaofo Solar System MPC17.11 r—17.112026-09-292026-09-29111.00124.5978, 28.1578
ZTF ZTF17aaaivzt RRLyraefaded r−0.216.482017-12-142026-09-29741211.00123.9754, 4.3241
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwbf EclBin16.48 r+0.216.332017-12-142026-09-29731041.00122.2533, 7.2285
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwbk EclBinfaded r−0.417.272017-12-142026-09-2955821.00122.3529, 2.1434
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwbz EclBinfaded r−0.317.982017-12-142026-09-2955711.00123.3880, 7.5998
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwcf Mirafaded r−2.513.942017-12-142026-09-2956911.00122.7722, 4.0272
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwcn Unknown18.25 r+0.317.942017-12-142026-09-29801461.00123.9501, 3.2327
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwdh EclBin16.89 r+0.216.462017-12-142026-09-29661041.00121.3536, 6.1057
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwec EclBin18.46 r+0.218.252017-12-142026-09-2955731.00120.9886, 6.6452
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwff EclBinfaded r−0.117.482017-12-082026-09-29641061.00120.6289, 4.0680
ZTF ZTF17aaaiwfi EclBinfaded r−0.317.042017-12-142026-09-2948741.00122.3729, 1.5499
ZTF ZTF17aaajctf delSctV*16.49 r+0.116.262017-12-142026-09-2921281.00123.0749, 2.0530
ZTF ZTF17aaajcuw Star18.40 r+0.117.972017-12-142026-09-29661.00120.8370, 4.0224
ZTF ZTF17aaajcvj EclBinfaded r−0.417.682017-12-142026-09-2952761.00122.1538, 4.0565
ZTF ZTF17aaajdhm EclBin16.81 r+0.116.332017-12-142026-09-2946650.99124.1897, 3.5888
ZTF ZTF17aaapjck EclBinfaded r−0.316.862017-12-142026-09-2918251.00121.0614, 3.8207