The statement: the image shows the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter
A viral image shared with Facebook is intended to show the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn, in which the two planets seemed closer to each other than they did centuries ago.
“The best photo I saw of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn taken from an observatory in Chile,” says a December 23 Facebook post with more than 700 shares. Accompanying the text is a supposed photo of the phenomenon that credits @gm_astrophotography.
USA TODAY contacted the Facebook user and the @gm_astrophotography Instagram account for comment.
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Special effect added to the image
The @gm_astrophotography account originally shared the image on December 21 and provided an explanation behind it.
“This is what the conjunction looks like through my small 72mm refracting telescope,” wrote the report along with a series of images of the conjunction. “Look at the colored peaks of defraction coming from the planets. They are unique in the fact that peaks of defraction can differ depending on the shape and size of the planet!”
Diffraction peaks in astrophotography are “artifacts” that appear in images of brighter stars, where beams of light pass through an obstacle in the camera lens and are bent, causing the light to spread to capture a better image of the sky, from according to Photographing Space. . In other words, in the image of a star or planet, it is the straight beams of light that point in four directions from the object.
The Instagram user explained that the joint image of Saturn and Jupiter, each with prominent points, was captured using adhesive tape and elastic bands extended in front of the refractor in a symmetrical pattern of a simple cross to add “something a little more. the image. “
The account owner added in the comments that the photo was taken in Massachusetts – not at an observatory in Chile, as the Facebook user claimed.
What was the conjunction?
The last time Jupiter and Saturn came so close was in 1623. The conjunction peaked on December 21, however, the planets seemed closer than the diameter of a full moon until December 25, USA TODAY reported.
The two planets had already approached each other throughout 2020 and, although the gas giants look close, they are still millions of miles away in space reality, according to the Night Sky Network.
“Alignments between these two planets are quite rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of the proximity of the planets,” Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan told USA TODAY earlier this week. month.
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Our rating: True
The image that claims to show the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is real, classified as TRUE, based on our research. The image shows the conjunction on its peak night; a photography technique that uses a symmetrical pattern adds a special effect to the image. The photo was taken in Massachusetts. The claims that the image was made at an observatory in Chile are partially false.
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This article was originally published in USA TODAY: Fact Check: Images of Saturn, Jupiter with special effect are real