The conspiracy theorist has recently unearthed archival NASA photos snapped in 1972, during the Apollo 16 mission. The NASA photos appear to show “glowing white clouds”, which Mr Waring thinks could be alien in origin.

UFO sighting: Do these NASA photos show an alien UFO on the Moon? (Image: NASA)

UFO sighting: The photos were taken during the Apollo 16 mission (Image: NASA/SCOTT WARING)

In his opinion, the UFO or unidentified flying object was monitoring the Apollo 16 mission as it orbited the Moon.

He said: “Please notice that the UFO moves from the top of the photo and matches its speed with the Apollo module then at about 450 photos it begins to fall behind, apparently realizing that the Apollo craft was no threat.

However, not everyone was convinced, with one viewer suggesting the “glowing clouds” are simply a reflection on the spacecraft’s windows.

It is very likely the UFO claims are the result of a psychological phenomenon known as pareidolia.

UFO sighting: Apollo 16 landed on the Moon in 1972 (Image: NASA)

UFO sighting: Do you believe aliens are watching our planet? (Image: NASA/SCOTT WARING)

Pareidolia is a trick of the mind that causes the brain to see shapes and patterns where they do not exist.

For example, when people see a dog-shaped cloud or a human face in a rock formation – that is pareidolia.

Astronomer Larry Sessions wrote in an article for EarthSky.org: “Maybe you’ve seen the proverbial bunny in a patch of clouds, or a clown’s face in a mud splatter on the side of your car?

“Seeing recognizable objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia.

“It’s a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information.

“Everyone experiences it from time to time.”

According to NASA, a common case of pareidolia is seeing a face on the surface of the Moon.

NASA said: “There are many examples of this phenomenon on Earth and in space.”