I am not so sure about the methods this NASA guy is using. When I was a professional photographer I saw circles like this from time to time. It comes from moisture or light leaks from using cheap or out of date film or a camera that has been dropped or is old. Usually is comes from a camera drop. You can not see the problem by looking at the camera. It shows only in a test roll of film. This is why when you buy a new camera, and most of us professionals bought used equipment because the professional equipment is so expensive, one would shoot a roll of film through the camera to make sure you didn't get light leaks, like what is shown in this article's photo.
BUT.........
I do have a true spooky story as a photographer.
I was shooting a wedding for a bride whose father had just passed away, only two weeks before the wedding. He had a long battle with cancer. He told his daughter before he passed he would always be with her in spirit. The Bride had a candle placed in his honor on the altar. When the bridal party returned to the alter for the traditional photos, one of the ushers had blown out all the candles, including the candle in the dad's honor. Due to time constraints, we needed to get pictures made quickly as the guests were waiting at the reception. So with the dad's candle out, we proceeded with a few traditonal photos. When the pictures came back, the photo of the bride and her mother, that would have normally been the bride and both her parents, as well as the family photo of the bride and her mother and siblings HAD THE DAD"S CANDLE LIT!! No other photo had the candle lit in it and no one re-lit the candle. The bride's mother asked if I had added this candle in photoshop. I did not have photoshop. I did not alter this photo in any way.