A Civilian Astronomer's Guide to UAP Research

Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) have historically been stigmatized and regarded as pseudoscience due to a general lack of robust evidence. Recently, however, the subject has gained interest among astronomers and the military. This review explores how astronomers can enhance our understanding of these enigmatic phenomena by focusing on empirical tests of specific hypotheses (e.g. the hypothesis of extraterrestrial visitations) rather than solely collecting and categorizing data. We compare the investigation of UAP to the process of calibration and interpretations of astronomical discoveries and propose a toy model involving a network of neuro-interface extraterrestrial probes to model exotic UAP. This model aids in predicting probe signatures and behaviour, improving detection methods, and addressing ethical concerns in UAP research.