Telescope Image of a Distant Star Posted by a Scientist Is Actually a Slice of Chorizo

Not all jokes are hilarious.

A French scientist, Etienne Klein, was harshly criticized for an image he posted on social media, which he claimed was a space telescope image of a distant star.

He said 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.”

Many became so excited that the post was retweeted by thousands of people, with others leaving enthusiastic comments.

Photo de Proxima du Centaure, l’étoile la plus proche du Soleil, située à 4,2 année-lumière de nous.
Elle a été prise par le JWST.
Ce niveau de détails… Un nouveau monde se dévoile jour après jour. pic.twitter.com/88UBbHDQ7Z

— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) July 31, 2022

But, eventually, Klein confessed that it was all a hoax and that the image was actually just a slice of chorizo with a black background. He said in later tweets: “In view of certain comments, 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 spontaneous eloquence of certain images.”

Nevertheless, many feel that the post was not funny, especially as Klein claimed that the image came from James Webb Space Telescope.

Now, it proves best to get news and updates about this famous space telescope straight from the website of the National Aerospace Space Agency and social media accounts of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

With the noble mission to #UnfoldTheUniverse, the world’s biggest and most powerful telescope has begun opening doors of discovery to astronomers, such as peering into the universe’s past, shedding light on dark matter, and scanning distant planets for signs of life.