A French scientist admits that “the image taken by the James Webb Telescope” is actually a slice of chorizo ​​| a stranger

A French scientist has apologized after tweeting a photo of a slice of chorizo, claiming it was an image of a star taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Etienne Klein, a famous physicist and director of the French Commission for Alternative and Atomic Energy, shared a photo of the spicy Spanish sausage on Twitter last week, praising the “level of detail” it provided.

Image of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, located 4.2 light-years away. It was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. That level and so many details…a new world is revealed every day,” he told his more than 91,000 followers on Sunday.


The post was retweeted and commented on by thousands of users, who took the world at their word. However, some followers asked themselves questions. Klein later admitted in a follow-up series of tweets that the photo was actually a close-up of a slice of chorizo ​​on a black background. “According to contemporary cosmology, there is nothing about Spanish processed meat anywhere else in the universe.”

Called out by members of the online community for the joke, he wrote, “Given some of the comments, I feel compelled to determine that this tweet showing an alleged image of Proxima Centauri was a joke. Let’s learn to be wary of the characters’ authoritative messages and the spontaneous power of certain images. “.

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On Wednesday, Klein formally apologized for the joke and, in an effort to fix it, posted a photo of the incredible Cartwheel galaxy, assuring followers that the photo was real this time around.

The Webb Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, officially began its scientific work on July 12. He will be able to see the atmosphere of exoplanets and see some of the first galaxies that formed after the beginning of the universe by seeing them in infrared.


Winton Frazier

 "Amateur web lover. Incurable travel nerd. Beer evangelist. Thinker. Internet expert. Explorer. Gamer."

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