A physicist trolls James Webb fans with a slice of chorizo

A physicist trolls James Webb fans with a slice of chorizo

Since July 12, NASA has continued to provide us with amazing images produced by the James Webb Space Telescope (see our Article) This $10 billion engineering jewel, the new spearhead of global astronomy, never ceases to amaze people with it. Pictures Each is more exciting than the other. So space enthusiasts are constantly on the lookout; Everyone is eagerly waiting for their stars’ next scene… and it leads to some hilarious pranks.

One look at the publication is enough to believe thisEtienne Klein, Research Director of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and a great figure in popularizing science. On Twitter, he recently shared a photo of what was presented as a new JWST snap.

In the image in question, the colors of Mars, with its multicolored atmospheric swirls, vaguely resemble a star or gas giant. But as most of you will have noticed – especially those who live near the Pyrenees – it’s not Proxima du Centauri…but rather a nasty chorizo.

A very spicy joke for some internet users

His humor made his subscribers laugh and they were quick to jump in with the joke. There are many messages filled with good-natured cooking puns and well-researched memories.

But a few thousand retweets later, Klein made a disturbing observation; This alleged mischief is obvious managed to fool an impressive number of Internet users Who doesn’t get the joke. Some criticized his tweet for not openly conveying the humorous dimension, and for being downright offensive.

The event took on such proportions that the person concerned even deemed it necessary to intervene. “ Well, when it comes to aperitif time, cognitive bias seems to have the day in a field… Then, they beware. According to contemporary cosmology, no substance belonging to the Spanish charcuterie exists anywhere but on Earth. “, he said later.

So Klein took this opportunity to turn this comical situation into a good lesson. He especially wanted to remind people how easy it is for internet users to fool themselves with images from a source they trust.

In view of some of the comments, I feel compelled to clarify that this tweet showing a snapshot of Proxima Centauri is a form of amusement. Let us learn to be wary of the arguments of authority, like the arbitrary rhetoric of some films… “, he sums up.

Moral of the story: It’s not just April Fools’ Day, you need to keep your critical mind alert!

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