Fact test: NASA has nothing to do with this edited image of the solar surface

Fact test: NASA has nothing to do with this edited image of the solar surface

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A beautiful picture that apparently shows the sun’s dazzling surface has gone viral on social media, with the claim that it was published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

A Facebook user shared the photo with the caption: “The clearest image of the solar surface published by NASA.”

India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found that the photo was clicked and digitally processed by an American photographer named Jason Guenzel. NASA has nothing to do with it.

The claim is widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter. By the time this story was submitted, one of these Facebook messages had been shared more than 77,000 times. The archived version can be seen here.

AFWA investigation

Although many users have told the NASA story with the picture, others are surprised if it is just a work of art and not an original image of the sun.

A reverse search for the viral image led us to the “Fine Art America” ​​website, which is an online art market. Here is the photo uploaded by Jason Guenzel on January 16, 2021 with the caption: “Magnetic Sun: A Stylized Version of a Sunrise. This image emphasizes the turbulent magnetic field on the visible surface of our star.”

According to the ‘About’ section in Guenzel’s profile, he is a photographer from Michigan, United States.

We followed Guenzel’s social media presence and found that he posted the same photo Twitter on January 13th. He clearly stated in the caption that the picture was a ‘heavy software-processed image of the solar chromosphere’, that is, the gas layer above the sun.

“The thin line between science and art runs … maybe a little blurred,” is another line from the caption that suggests that the original picture was later artistically processed.

Reply to a Twitter user who shared the viral image that compliments NASA, Guenzel commented, “Thank you for the share. I am the original creator of the content. This is a processed image using photos collected by my solar telescope in the backyard! ‘

Guenzel also wrote a Facebook post in which he expressed concern about the image being shared and attributed to NASA instead of him.

The report says: My solar image “Magnetic Sun” from a few weeks ago has been shared on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit over the past few days. In most cases, it is not recognized and is attributed to a NASA image. If you see it there, do me a favor and try to set the record in the comments. Thanks for the interest! ”

We did not find the viral image or any related information on NASA’s official website or social media handles. We found some other images of the sun in the NASA photo journal.

It is therefore clear that the viral image is not the clearest image of the solar surface nor was it published by NASA. This is a highly processed image originally clicked by American photographer Jason Guenzel.

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US, NASA, Sun, Jason Guenzel, Art, Fine Art America, Magnetic Sun, Michigan, Twitter, Facebook, NASA Photo Journal, Fact Check India

ClaimThis is the clearest image of the solar surface published by NASA. ClosureThe photo was clicked and artistically edited by American photographer Jason Guenzel. NASA has absolutely no link to the picture.

JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE

The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.

  • 1 Crow: Half true
  • 2 crows: mostly lies
  • 3 crows: absolutely false

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