--- title: "Research Claims There Might Be Up to 4 Quintillion Alien Spacecraft in Our Solar System" description: "Mulder's Dream This might be a little out there. The infamous Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb is back again, armed with new, not-peer-reviewed research. This time, Loeb ups the ante by claiming it's possible that there's — get this — four quintillion alien spacecraft lurking in our solar system. That's, uh, a lot of flying saucers. […]" date: "2022-10-28" modified: "2022-10-28" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/research-quintillion-alien-spacecraft" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Energy" - "Exobiology" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" - "Space" tags: - "aliens" - "avi loeb" - "SETI" - "the digest" --- # Research Claims There Might Be Up to 4 Quintillion Alien Spacecraft in Our Solar System ![Infamous Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has released a new study that claims there could be an absurd amount of alien spacecraft already in our backyard.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Mulder's Dream This might be a little *out there*. Alien-hunting Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb is back again, armed with new, not-yet-peer-reviewed research. This time, Loeb ups the ante by claiming it's possible that there's — get this — *four quintillion* alien spacecraft lurking in our solar system. That'd be, uh, a lot of flying saucers. The [study](), spotted [by the *Daily Beast*](), is a follow up on the [first discovery of an interstellar object to visit our solar system](), dubbed 'Oumuamua, back in 2017. By all accounts, 'Oumuamua was a very weird object, the nature of which scientists are still hotly debating. Speculated to be cigar-shaped, it sparked [tons of debate]() on whether it was an extraterrestrial visitor. ## Alien Armada Loeb isn't outright saying 'Oumuamua was aliens per se, but he is saying we should be open to that possibility. In light of that outlook, he's basically asking what "respectable" scientists would never deign to: how many possible 'Oumuamuas could there be in our solar system that go unnoticed? First, Loeb and fellow Harvard astronomer Carson Ezell looked at how many interstellar visitors we've already spotted. "One can use recent rates of detection of interstellar objects and known capabilities to estimate the density of similar objects in the solar neighborhood," the astronomers wrote in the study, as quoted by *The Daily Beast*. Since 'Oumuamua, there have been three more interstellar objects detected by astronomers, making it four in eight years. At that rate, Loeb and Ezeller calculated there could be up to a staggering 40 decillion interstellar objects in the entire solar system, including areas beyond the reach of our instruments. That number is brought down to the more humble 4 quintillion figure when limiting the scope to the "habitable zone" near the Sun, which is potentially exciting since, if some of them *are* aliens, they'd be easier to detect. Some of Loeb's theories are boundary-pushing, but he never fails to raise some fascinating points. Even if the majority of 4 quintillion interstellar objects turn out to just be bits of space rock, which Loeb admits is likely, that still leaves quite a bit of room for some of them to be alien spacecraft. Fingers crossed, at least. **More on the adventures of Avi Loeb:** *[Experts Puzzled by Harvard Scientist Looking for Alien Wreckage in Ocean]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()