If there is one thing you'll find in abundance on the internet, it has to be information. We sift through so much information on the internet on a daily basis. Sometimes, it gets hard to comprehend what is fake and what is the truth, especially thanks to social media algorithms. Even the best of us can fall prey to misinformation and a recent news item is probably the most hilarious example of this. French Scientist Etienne Klein had shared a picture on Twitter of what he thought was 'Proxima Centauri' or the closest star to the sun. Later, it was revealed that the image was nothing but a slice of meat! Take a look at the viral tweet here:
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Etienne Klein claimed that the photograph taken by the James Webb telescope had captured great detail of the star that was hitherto unknown. "Photo of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun, located 4.2 light years from us. She was taken by the JWST. This level of detail... A new world is revealed day after day," wrote the scientist in his tweet in French. The post has received over 20.4k likes and 6.4k retweets since the time it was shared. Earlier, photographs captured by the telescope had broken the internet.
Later, it was revealed that the photograph of Proxima Centauri was nothing, but a slice of the Spanish meat called Chorizo. It is basically a sausage made of minced pork and smoked for a delicious flavour. Etienne Klein then took to the same thread to apologise for his misidentification. "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 wrote.
He further admitted that it was important to cross-check information before sharing it further. "Let us learn to be wary of arguments from authority as much as of the spontaneous eloquence of certain images," he added. Take a look:
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Twitter users were left in splits after the hilarious faux pas by the French scientist. Thousands poured in their reactions in the comments section. "It's actually a slice of Chorizo. Astronomy prank," wrote one user while another said, "It's good that there is still humor in the middle of the universe!" One user sarcastically commented, "Detail on the James Webb telescope is unprecedented. Will enjoy future results over my breakfast time Twitter reviews!" Several Twitter users also shared their own images of tortillas or olives and claimed they were stars or supermoons.
Take a look at all the funny reactions here:
What did you think of the funny faux pas by the French scientist? Tell us in the comments.