Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #552

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Top Scientist Admits ‘Space Telescope Image' Was Actually A Slice of Chorizo
By Toyin Owoseje, CNN
(CNN)A French scientist has apol- ogized after tweeting a photo of a slice of chori- zo, claiming it was an image of a distant star taken by
the James Webb Space Telescope.
Étienne Klein, a
celebrated physi- cist and director at France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, shared the image of the spicy Spanish sausage on Twitter last week, praising the "level of detail" it provided.
"Picture of
Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, locat- ed 4.2 light years away from us. It was taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. This level of detail... A new world is unveiled everyday," he told his more than 91,000 followers on Sunday.
The post was retweeted and commented upon by thousands of users, who took the scientist by his word.
Things, however, were not quite as they seemed.
Klein admitted later in a series of follow-up tweets that the image was, in fact, a close-up of a slice of chorizo taken against a black background.
"Well, when it's cocktail hour, cog- nitive bias seem to find plenty to enjoy... Beware of it. According to contemporary cosmology, no object related to Spanish charcu- terie exists any- where else other
than on Earth"
After facing a backlash from members of the online community for the prank, he wrote: "In view of certain com- ments, I feel obliged to specify that this tweet showing an alleged picture of Proxima Centauri was a joke. Let's learn to be wary of the arguments from positions of authority as much as the sponta- neous eloquence of certain images."
On Wednesday, Klein apologized for the hoax, say- ing his intention was "to urge cau- tion regarding images that seem to speak for themselves."
Inabidtomake amends, he post- ed an image of the spectacular Cartwheel galaxy, assuring followers that this time the photo was gen- uine.
The Webb tele- scope, the most powerful tele- scope ever launched into space, officially began scientific operations on July 12. It will be able to peer inside the atmos- pheres of exo- planets and observe some of the first galaxies created after the universe began by viewing them through infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye.
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