A slice of Chorizo: the joke of a scientist who panics Twitter

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 unfolding day after day. pic.twitter.com/88UBbHDQ7Z

— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) July 31, 2022

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“When it’s aperitif time”

The snapshot was shared by nearly 2,000 people and “liked” by nearly 10,000. A success that made the scientist react, who decided to restore the truth about this image. “Well, when it’s time for the aperitif, cognitive biases seem to have a field day… So watch out for them. According to contemporary cosmology, no object belonging to Spanish charcuterie exists anywhere but on Earth. »

Because this red shape that amazed Internet users is nothing more than a simple slice of chorizo ​​on a black background. Etienne Klein added that “in view of certain comments, I feel compelled to specify that this tweet showing an alleged snapshot of Proxima Centauri was a form of amusement. “Contacted by the” Huffington Post “, Etienne Klein explains that” it is the first time that I make a joke whereas I am rather on this network like a figure of scientific authority. […] It illustrates the fact that on this type of social network, fake news is always more successful than real news. »

A revolutionary tool

This little prank has at least helped to generate interest around NASA’s James Webb Telescope. Since July, it has been sending very detailed images of the universe.

Very enthusiastic at the sight of the first snapshot received in mid-July, US President Joe Biden joined members of NASA to present “the cluster of galaxies SMACS 0723 as it existed 4.6 billion years ago. ‘years “. The telescope continues to reveal surprising images such as those of the Cartwheel galaxy located 500 million light-years away.

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