Following the July 2022 release of the first James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images —  a haunting deep field of galaxies, its stunning picture o

Astronomical hoaxes throughout the ages

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2023-05-29 11:00:04

Following the July 2022 release of the first James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images —  a haunting deep field of galaxies, its stunning picture of the Carina Nebula, the captivating beauty of Stephan’s Quintet and the Southern Ring Nebula —  a flurry of other space images started widely circulating across social media platforms. That was when French Scientist Étienne Klein shared a picture of the closest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, on Twitter. 

The trusted researcher said the shot was taken by the JWST and praised its level of detail; the image was shared thousands of times across social media. But not all about the picture was as it appeared to be. This wasn’t Proxima Centauri at all. It was, in fact, a rather mundane (albeit tasty, I’m sure) slice of chorizo sausage against a black background. 

When this was exposed, and in the face of considerable backlash, Klein apologized for the incident, which was dubbed “Chorizogate.” The scientist pointed out that his intention for sharing the image was as a response to the wide dissemination of JWST images and to “urge caution regarding images that seem to speak for themselves.”

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