French scientist Étienne Klein has apologized on Twitter for a hoax that passed off a slice of chorizo as a snapshot of the star Proxima Centauri, a gesture that was meant to “encourage caution” about the images that circulate on social networks.
I come to present my apologies to those whom my hoax, which had nothing original about it, may have shocked. He simply wanted to urge caution with images that seem eloquent on their own.
tweeted Etienne Klein, physicist and philosopher of science, on Wednesday.
On Sunday, the French scientist posted a photo of a slice of chorizo (Spanish sausage) against a black background, claiming it was an image of the closest star to the Sun, taken with the brand new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
light years from us. She was taken by the JWST. This level of detail… A new world is revealed day after day”,”text”:”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”}}”>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
commented Étienne Klein above the photo.
The tweet of Étienne Klein, 64, director of research at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), has been shared thousands of times on social networks in recent hours.
