Just a few weeks ago, the first images were released from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), giving an incredibly detailed view of the universe.
Sneak a peek at the deepest & sharpest infrared image of the early universe ever taken — all in a day’s work for the Webb telescope. (Literally, capturing it took less than a day!) This is Webb’s first image released as we begin to #UnfoldTheUniverse: https://t.co/tlougFWg8B pic.twitter.com/Y7ebmQwT7j
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) July 11, 2022
So, when physicist Étienne Klein shared an image of the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri – taken by the JWST – nobody was surprised at the apparent clarity.
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
Photo of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, located 4.2 light years from us. It was taken by the JWST. This level of detail… A new world is revealed day after day.
People were amazed, marvelling at the image, but it was only a matter of hours before Dr. Klein admitted that it had actually been a photo of a slice of chorizo.
Bon, quand sonne l’heure de l’apéritif, les biais cognitifs semblent s’en donner à cœur joie… Gare, donc, à eux. Selon la cosmologie contemporaine, nul objet relevant de la charcuterie espagnole n’existe ailleurs que sur Terre.
— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) July 31, 2022
Well, when it’s time for the aperitif, cognitive biases seem to have a field day… Beware, then, of them. According to contemporary cosmology, no object belonging to Spanish charcuterie exists anywhere but on Earth.
He explained that the tweet had been a warning against being too quick to accept things at face value.
Je viens présenter mes excuses à ceux que mon canular, qui n’avait rien d’original, a pu choquer. Il voulait simplement inciter à la prudence vis-à-vis des images qui semblent éloquentes par elles-mêmes.
La blague d'un scientifique https://t.co/wHiJWxscxq #Astronomie via @LePoint— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022
I’m going to present my apologies to those whom my hoax, which had nothing original about it, may have shocked. It simply served to urge caution with images that seem eloquent on their own. A Scientist’s joke.
Étienne’s little lesson in not being so gullible went viral. Here are a few favourite reactions.
1.
If scientists can't tell the difference between a delicious chorizo slice and a "distant star" what hope do we have?
Also, please enjoy this image of the moon. https://t.co/3SiRANfsFu pic.twitter.com/vKCOQV4dsx
— Axel Folio, PhD, "woke viper in the academy" (@ISASaxonists) August 5, 2022
2.
Please award this scientist a Nobel Prize expeditiously https://t.co/CbTlEEaP8O
— Kylie Cheung (@kylietcheung) August 5, 2022
3.
This scientist scammed at least 14 thousand idiots that thought this was a star and not sausage.
Legend. https://t.co/T6ABZztQli
— 提督 Aegis (@AdmiralAegis) August 6, 2022
4.
We may one day have to evacuate to Proxima Centauri or the moon, in a Wurst Käse scenario https://t.co/YdQYaxJ9w2 pic.twitter.com/i7cLV2EreE
— Timmy O'Danaos (@ODanaos) August 6, 2022
5.
Maybe it pairs well with this (not a real) picture of DNA. https://t.co/7IxiPaXXuf pic.twitter.com/1bA1PoLTMt
— Patrick Deelen (@PatrickDeelen) August 6, 2022
6.
Tatooine #ChorizoGate pic.twitter.com/VlmF3InKkg
— Tipunch (@Tipuncho) August 5, 2022
7.
when you realize you will never shitpost this good
https://t.co/uumMKIcj84
— Tyler Glaiel (@TylerGlaiel) August 5, 2022
8.
More like Porxima Centauri it turns out https://t.co/IKS1z7Nllo
— Chris Boyle (@c_boyle) August 7, 2022
9.
there are heroes. there are legends. and then there is Dr Klein. he is epic.
possibly the best trolling. ever. https://t.co/8Ams5mQTBr— Harini Calamur (@calamur) August 7, 2022
A few days later, he posted a genuine image from the JWST – but we’re not sure whether people believed him.
Photo (VRAIE cette fois…) de la galaxie de la Roue du Chariot et de ses galaxies compagnes, prise par le JWST. Située à 500 millions d’années-lumière, elle fut sans doute spirale dans son passé, mais a pris cette étrange allure à la suite d’un furieux carambolage galactique. pic.twitter.com/vmiDjU1Gjt
— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022
The question had to be asked.
If it becomes a black hole, will it have an event chorizon? https://t.co/ZoKd5I0OWE
— Robin Baumgarten
(@Robin_B) August 7, 2022
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Source Étienne Klein Image Étienne Klein
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