Scientist apologises for claiming slice of chorizo was a star
Back in July 2022, a scientist was forced to apologise after an image he posted online, which he alleged to be an up close image of Proxima Centauri, was found to actually be a slice of chorizo.
Étienne Klein, a physicist and research director at France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, claimed that the stunning picture was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Alongside the picture, Klein originally wrote in the caption, “Picture of Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun, located 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.”
However, he admitted days later that the image was, in fact, a slice of Spanish chorizo placed on top of a black background.
The post was originally explained as a “joke”, one that attempted to encourage critical thinking about space in an age of online misinformation and fake news.
The scientist explained to his 91,000 followers at the time: “Let’s learn to be wary of the arguments from positions of authority as much as the spontaneous eloquence of certain images.”
He added that the controversial post was backed by his intention “to urge caution regarding images that seem to speak for themselves.”
However, the joke didn’t exactly land. Many argued that the post meant the public was now even less likely to believe in science, despite its obvious, and arguably increasing, importance across the shifting digital landscape.
In an attempt to win back the trust of his followers, the scientist then posted an image of the Cartwheel galaxy, assuring followers that the new, equally spectacular photo was genuine.
In other space news, a new start-up company has promised interested parties the chance to book a hotel stay on the moon, for an eye-watering sum. GRU Space is aiming to build habitable dwellings on the surface of the moon; inflatable structures will be built by 2031, and eventually hotels by 2032, they promise.