Oh, thank goodness. I was starting to worry that humanity’s multi-billion dollar space programs were just about boring things like “expanding human knowledge” or “ensuring our long-term survival.” But Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, a man who has clearly watched one too many B-movies, has a much better idea: let’s turn the Moon into a giant fishing net to catch alien stuff. No, seriously. Stop laughing.

Apparently, astronauts on the recent Artemis II joyride saw a few “meteor flashes” on the Moon’s dark side and, while a normal person might say “Ooh, pretty,” Professor Loeb saw incontrovertible proof that this is how we’ll finally get our hands on an alien hood ornament [1, 7].

The “Catch of the Day” That Got Away

Professor Loeb’s obsession isn’t new. He’s been pointing his “it’s aliens” finger at every weird rock that zips through our neighborhood. Let’s review the evidence, shall we?

• 1I/‘Oumuamua: Our first interstellar guest was shaped like a “cigar” and sped up without any visible gas, like a car with a silent engine. Loeb suggested it was an alien light-sail. More “conventional” (read: boring) scientists claimed it was probably just outgassing invisible hydrogen or nitrogen ice [1, 2]. Sure it was.
• 2I/Borisov: This one actually looked like a comet, but Loeb found its “unusual composition” suspicious [1, 2]. Because, as we all know, a different star system couldn’t possibly make rocks differently than ours. It must be alien manufacturing.
• 3I/ATLAS: This behemoth conveniently traveled along the same plane as our planets, a “less than 1% random probability,” according to Loeb, which basically means it was aiming for us [1, 2, 3]. It also had weird acceleration, a funky composition, and a mysterious blue glow. Another scientist, Dr. Jason Wright, dismissed these claims as “not so anomalous” [3]. I guess some people just hate fun.

The Moon: Nature’s Perfect Fly Paper

Here’s the genius part of the plan. The Moon has no atmosphere. That means that instead of burning up gracefully, space debris just slams right into the surface, creating a nice, bright flash of light [4, 5, 6]. For years, we’ve used these flashes to study impact rates, which is crucial for making sure a future lunar base isn’t built in the middle of a cosmic firing range [6].

But now, thanks to the crew of Artemis II, we have a much higher purpose for them. The four astronauts spotted six of these flashes in a short time, far more than we usually see from Earth [7-12]. This, obviously, means the Moon is the perfect place to set up a 24/7 alien surveillance system. It’s not an “uptick in meteor activity” [7]; it’s the aliens getting careless.

The Grand Plan: Lunar Bait and Tackle

So, what’s next in this brilliant saga? Loeb envisions a network of sensors across the lunar surface [1]. When an “anomalous” object makes a flash, we’ll get its exact coordinates. Then, we can send a follow-up mission to “fish out” the wreckage and see if we can find a “Made in Zeta Reticuli” sticker on the bottom.

It’s a bold, visionary, and utterly absurd plan. Will this grand scheme lead us to groundbreaking discoveries about the universe and our place in it? Or is it just a really, *really* expensive way to collect more space rocks? Honestly, who cares? It’s the most entertaining thing to happen to astronomy in decades. Keep the dream alive, Professor.

---

Sources I Am Legally Obligated to Provide

Here are the facts, so you don’t think I’m just making this stuff up for my own amusement.

1. Loeb, Avi. “Flashes on the Dark Side of the Moon: A New Fishing Net for Interstellar Objects.” Avi Loeb Medium, April 10, 2026.
2. Perplexity AI. (2026). Elaborate further on the specific characteristics and anomalous properties of ‘Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and 3I/Atlas… (Internal Chat Reference)
3. La Razón. (2025, November 7). Avi Loeb, experto en vida extraterrestre de Harvard, sobre el 3I/ATLAS…
4. ZME Science. (2026, April 10). Artemis II Astronauts Saw 6 Meteorites Slam into the Moon.
5. Space.com. (2025, November 4). Astronomer captures 2 meteors slamming into the Moon (video).
6. European Space Agency (ESA). (2020, March 1). 100th asteroid flash spotted on the Moon.
7. ABC News. (2026, April 11). The far side revealed: Artemis II’s lunar fly-by in pictures.
8. Wikipedia. (2026, April 11). Artemis II.
9. WIRED. (2026, April 11). Artemis II Astronauts Safely Return to Earth After Historic Flight…
10. The New York Times. (2026, April 10). Artemis II Astronauts Get a Break After Journey Around the Moon.
11. The Hindu. (2026, April 11). In Pictures | Artemis II’s voyage to the moon and back.
12. Hackaday. (2026, April 11). Following Artemis II’s Journey Around The Moon.