More than 20 unidentified objects have been spotted near the Moon, according to astronomers from the Main Astronomical Observatory (MAO) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine.

The findings published in a non-peer-reviewed preprint (UFO Dynamics on the Moon) describe objects as large as 25 miles in diameter.

It's worth noting that independent experts, as well as the NAS of Ukraine itself, have previously criticized the team's methodology, particularly noting that distance-calculation errors can easily lead to the misidentification of nearby, ordinary objects such as insects, birds, or drones as massive, high-speed craft.

The researchers divided the sightings into two categories. Atmospheric objects that appear to hold position, which the team suggests could indicate a base station or checkpoint, and what they term "continental objects" seen moving across the lunar surface. Nothing smaller than 9 to 15 miles across was included in the analysis.

"UFOs are observed on Earth and in near-Earth space," the study states. "UFOs can reach Earth in 20 minutes. On Earth, they manifest as UAP phenomena. UFOs demonstrate intelligent behavior and can be regarded as a technologically advanced civilization," the authors add.

The researchers propose that these objects originate from a hidden base on the Moon, a hypothesis that leads them to speculate whether astronauts from the upcoming Artemis mission may encounter it.

The theory itself is built on the team's analysis of the objects' behavior. Specifically, their brightness fluctuations and extreme speeds are what drew attention. The bigger objects were clocked at around 11 kilometers per second, about 24,606 miles per hour, producing centrifugal acceleration near 2,200 cm/s², a force more than double that of Earth's gravity.

To put those speeds into perspective, this is comparable to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), which reaches roughly 24,500 miles per hour during its transit to the Moon.

However, such a significant observation remains uncorroborated. At the time of writing, no other observatory has reported similar object sightings.

Sources: MAO KIEV, The Debrief, NASA, UNILAD Tech

Read the original article on GEEKSPIN.
Affiliate links on GEEKSPIN may earn us and our partners a commission.