What was your first reaction when you saw this photo?
Some people say that it is a piece of sausage.
It is also said that this is a recent shot of a star...
If, when the person who says it's a star is a world-authoritative scientist, can you stick to your opinion?
Last Sunday, the famous French scientist Etienne Klein posted this picture on Twitter, which caused a huge controversy on the internet.
The image of the tweet is a fiery red ball with dots of gold that, at first glance, resembles a burning sun.
Klein also confirmed in a tweet that this is the other sun, which is what Proxima Centauri looked like in high-definition photos taken by Weber:
"A picture of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, sits 4.2 light-years away."
"The Webb telescope captured it, and the details went so far... Every day a new world unfolds..."
After the tweet was sent, it quickly caused a huge response on the Internet, and some netizens believed it to be true, excitedly forwarded and sighed:
"The last time I photographed Proxima Centauri was like this"
"It's a big step forward!"
Klein's peers also retweeted it for the first time, with astronomer Peter Coles retweeting comments to:
"The picture of the Weber telescope is getting clearer..."
Of course, there are also people who ask questions while being excited:
"I'm not sure if it's a prank or real, this Proxima Centauri really looks like a Spanish sausage..."
Po articles were forwarded thousands of times, more and more netizens saw that something was wrong, and finally someone issued a serious question:
"Fake, this is a slice of Spanish sausage!"
With the netizen's questions, more and more people began to follow up with doubts about the authenticity of the photos.
However, Etienne Klein is a well-known physicist after all, and in the midst of all the doubts, there are still many people who believe in his statement.
Another person po out the recent sun photo comparison that NASA once took, and the "Proxima Centauri" photo sent by Klein is indeed very similar:
The surface of the star looks a lot like a cross-section of a sausage up close...
So, what is the truth of the photo:
Is it a recent shot of the real Proxima Centauri coming out of the Webb telescope?
Or is it really as netizens guessed, a piece of Spanish sausage?
Yesterday, Klein finally came out to debunk the rumors:
"After seeing some tweets, I felt the need to clarify the fact that the so-called proximate photo of Proxima Centauri was actually a prank."
"It is well known that, according to the existing knowledge of astronomy, it is impossible for any Spanish meat to appear anywhere other than earth..."
This sentence came out, which is a complete clarification of the truth:
The photo is not a "proximity photo of Proxima Centauri", it is a cross-section of a Spanish sausage, although it is a little golden in the fiery red, it does look like the surface of a star...
"I apologize to those who were misled by my pranks, it's just a nonsensical scientific joke."
Klein further explained his intention to spoof the photo:
"Let's beware of opinions that come from authority, like pictures that have their own embellishments."
The truth is out:
Klein posted a photo of a Spanish sausage, saying that this is the latest proximate photo of Proxima Centauri taken by Weber, and wants to make a well-intentioned "science joke" with netizens.
It's a reminder not to trust certain retouched photos on the Internet, even if they come from authorities in the field.
Although the rumors were debunked, apologized, and explained in detail, there are still many netizens who do not buy it.
Someone accused Klein of making such a "joke" somewhat irresponsible:
"It's rather anachronistic to say this (joke) from a scientific leader, and you know how quickly this kind of misleading information can spread."
There is a similar scientific spoof, and others have done it.
Elon Musk, for example, had previously tweeted that Weber's image was from a granite slab from a kitchen: "Well done, NASA." ”
Although everyone knows it is a prank at a glance, Elon Musk's identity is not a scientist after all.
In the past two days, Klein's spoof of Proxima Centauri photos with Spanish sausages has been reported by many media, and netizens have also quarreled.
Some netizens support Klein's behavior, believing that it is a rare humor.
"I'm already laughing so loud at this news headline!"
"It was so much fun! Where does people's sense of humor go? ...... Outstanding! ”
"The people who are angry with this brother are those who have just realized that they believe what others say."
"It's a joke, but some people lack a sense of humor..."
Of course, there are also many netizens who oppose Klein's "scientific humor".
"It's an uncomfortable embarrassment that he (Klein) will never be taken seriously."
"It's not funny at all. Pathetic joke. ”
"Here we go again... Again, false information. People do make mistakes all the time. ”
Etienne Klein demeaned his professionalism with a student-style prank. His research funding should be stopped! ”
Can a great scientist make such a joke?
This question can only be said to be a matter of opinion.