BitBOINC

Kampylos update: we identified a 24-year-old mystery — help us name two objects!

Hi everyone,

Kampylos re-analyses archival microlensing light curves from the MOA and OGLE surveys, looking for signals that a simple single-lens fit misses — the kind of signal a planet could leave. Recently it flagged two events with strong anomalies. We checked both by hand, and here is what they turned out to be.

BitBOINC-Kampylos-Object-2 (MOA-2002-BLG-14): a new identification
In 2002 the MOA survey raised an alert for this star but never worked out what it was: its alert entry has no peak time, no duration and an amplification of "1.00". Kampylos found two sharp brightenings 17 days apart, each about as bright as the other, plus a smaller one in 2004. That pattern doesn't fit microlensing (lensing events don't repeat). When we checked the position, we found it lies 0.17 arcseconds from OGLE-BLG-DN-0582, a dwarf nova: a white dwarf pulling gas from a companion star, which flares up again and again when the disc of gas around it becomes unstable.
So the MOA alert was this dwarf nova all along. As far as we can tell, no one has published that link before, and the MOA data also gives an outburst history from 2000–2005, before the OGLE-IV survey started. We are preparing a short research note (RNAAS) on it and will submit the cross-identification to the AAVSO Variable Star Index.

BitBOINC-Kampylos-Object-3 (MOA-2003-BLG-33): a real microlensing event, no planet
In June 2003, an unseen star passed almost exactly in front of a faint background star, and the background star briefly brightened about 250 times. Events this close to perfect alignment are the most sensitive way we know to find planets around the lens star. We tested a planet against a plain single lens, and the data don't need a planet: the first anomaly score was inflated by an under-optimised baseline fit in Kampylos (which we are fixing). The "no planet" result is still useful. It lets us rule out large planets over a range of orbits around this star, which is what statistical studies of how common planets are rely on.

Data
Both full grid results are openly published on Zenodo:
• Object-2: 10.5281/zenodo.23211074
• Object-3: 10.5281/zenodo.23211078
Details and light curves: Kampylos: investigated anomalies

Help us name them!
Neither object has a name — only catalogue codes. We'd like the BitBOINC community to give them names:
• Object-2 is a flaring star — a white dwarf that keeps erupting.
• Object-3 is a single event: a flash of light bent by an invisible star in 2003, re-examined by volunteers 23 years later.

Reply in this thread with your suggestion (up to 2 per object) and a sentence on why. Please keep names respectful, not the name of a living person, and not commercial or political. Suggestions are open until 14 October 2026; after that we'll run a poll among the most popular ones.
These will be informal community names (official designations stay as they are), but we'll use them on the site, in the forum and in the research note.

Thank you — and get credited
Each of these two events was computed by volunteers' computers: 5 volunteers on 7 hosts did the work. Publications that use Kampylos results will thank the people who computed them. If you would like to be listed by your official full name and country, set this on your account page under "Credit in scientific publications" (direct link). The default is anonymous: if you don't opt in, you are only counted, never named.

Happy crunching!

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In reply to Alperen Yavuz's message of 7 Oct 2026:

Kampylos update: we identified a 24-year-old mystery — help us name two objects!

Reply in this thread with your suggestion (up to 2 per object) and a sentence on why. Please keep names respectful, not the name of a living person, and not commercial or political. Suggestions are open until 14 October 2026; after that we'll run a poll among the most popular ones.
These will be informal community names (official designations stay as they are), but we'll use them on the site, in the forum and in the research note.

First all, well done!!
Second, why not to use "boinc words", like "cruncher-1" and "cruncher-2"?

In reply to boboviz's message of 8 Oct 2026:

Second, why not to use "boinc words", like "cruncher-1" and "cruncher-2"?

BitBOINC Kampylos Object-1, BitBOINC Kampylos Object-2 )

How about

Object 1 could be bitBoinc Nova 1
and
Object 2 could be bitBoinc Star Flash 1

The name Kampylos could possibly be added in there as well if required.

Such as Kampylos Nova 1 for Object 1
And Kampylos Star Flash 1 for Object 2

Conan

In reply to Conan's message of 8 Oct 2026:

How about

Such as Kampylos Nova 1 for Object 1
And Kampylos Star Flash 1 for Object 2

Conan

I like it!

I just checked the https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr/kampylos_discoveries.php

Object 2 has label "we identified the source as a known dwarf nova " therefore we cannot name it ?

Objects 1 3 4 ruled out

Object 5 - not sure, @admin please clarify if naming is needed?

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I crunch for Ukraine

I would also include it`s catagory in it`s name. How many catagories are there? "Erupting star", "star flash", etc preceded by a "BB" for BitBoinc and succeeded by a number?

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In reply to Drago75's message of 8 Oct 2026:

I would also include it`s catagory in it`s name. How many catagories are there? "Erupting star", "star flash", etc preceded by a "BB" for BitBoinc and succeeded by a number?

I like your Badges Drago75, they look great

Being Australian love the Kangaroos

Conan

Thanks 😊

In reply to Alperen Yavuz's message of 7 Oct 2026:

Help us name them!
Neither object has a name — only catalogue codes. We'd like the BitBOINC community to give them names:
• Object-2 is a flaring star — a white dwarf that keeps erupting.
• Object-3 is a single event: a flash of light bent by an invisible star in 2003, re-examined by volunteers 23 years later.

Lynceus for Object-3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynceus_(son_of_Aphareus)
"Lynceus was said to have excellent sight; enabling him to see through walls, trees, skin and the ground. According to some versions he was also able to see in the dark."
I bet he could look behind a invisible star, too. :)