When a simple hoax goes around the web.
On Sunday evening, Etienne Klein, a physicist and philosopher of science, ignited Twitter by posting a photo of a slice of chorizo 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).
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.
pic.twitter.com/88UBbHDQ7Z
— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) July 31, 2022
“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 unfolding day by day,” the tweet read.
Very quickly, the hoax was relayed as real information and faced with the considerable extent of his joke, the French scientist wanted to make things clear.
“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 relating to Spanish charcuterie exists elsewhere than on Earth", tweeted Etienne Klein once again, before adding: "In view of certain comments, I feel obliged to specify that this tweet showing an alleged snapshot of Proxima Centauri was a form of amusement.
»
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.
A scientist's joke https://t.co/wHiJWxscxq #Astronomy via @LePoint
— Etienne KLEIN (@EtienneKlein) August 3, 2022
Finally, Etienne Klein made a point of apologizing on his Twitter account on Wednesday evening.
“I come to present my apologies to those whom my hoax, which had nothing original, could shock.
He simply wanted to urge caution vis-à-vis images that seem eloquent by themselves, "tweeted Monday evening the research director at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), 64, also producer of the radio program “Science en questions” on France Culture.