Some moon photos weren’t taken from Artemis II
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, along with four crew members, launched the Artemis II on April 1, to take photos of the moon, while traveling further from Earth than any previous space mission.
The photos from Artemis II, that have been sent back to NASA, are incredible. However, some of the images circulating on social media are actually fake, according to PolitiFact. The official photos are on NASA’s website and were released in a press release.
“If people are looking for images, they are on nasa.gov and at the links provided in the news release,” NASA spokesperson Jennifer Dooren told PolitiFact.
With those available, some users still posted alternate images.
“Stunning high-res Moon images from Artemis II. The lunar mare is surprisingly colorful (full-moon emoji),” read an April 5 X post. The post included a 35-second video panning the surface of the moon.
But that clip isn’t from the latest mission. It’s from a 2024 Instagram post that a photographer created using multiple images of the moon, shot with a telescope. The photos were merged together to create the video. In the post’s caption, the photographer said it shows “what the moon looks like if it was a flat disk with mountains on it.”
A different photo in a TikTok post showed the moon with bright colors, and included the caption, “The pictures of the moon from #artemis2 are breathtaking! I was today years old when I learned the moon rocks were not just grey.”
But this image is not from Artemis II. It was shot by photographer Ildar Ibatullin, who told PolitiFact the photo was taken from Earth, using a reflector telescope and a DSLR camera.
“These images were processed from 50GB of raw data and have been available on my profile for several days,” Ibatullin said. “Unfortunately, they have been misappropriated by various platforms to spread misinformation about the lunar mission.”
User wasn’t paid to protest
Late last month, thousands of people joined in No Kings rallies in major cities across the country. A recent post appeared to offer a different look at those events.
“Ok, I'm spilling the beans. Yesterday myself and several others were paid between $20 and $40 per hour to attend a No Kings protest. The reason many people don't talk about it is because it impacts our welfare payments if we disclose. MAGA cope and seethe,” read the post, which supposedly came from a user named Dr. Rita Ded. The photo included with the signature showed a young woman with hair colored blue and red.
But that March 29 post isn’t real, according to LeadStories. It was created by a parody account.
Two online artificial intelligence, or AI, detectors done by LeadStories showed that the profile photo of Dr. Ded was likely created using AI.
Photos of rescue haven’t been released
Two American service members were recently stranded in Iran after their fighter jet was shot down. Following an incredible U.S. mission, the men were rescued and brought home.
Almost immediately, there were photos on social media showing the rescued soldiers.
“I’ll never forget this picture on each & every Easter Sunday. Rescued,” read a post showing a happy soldier, surrounded by others, holding an American flag.
A different post with the same photo read, “Here is the photo of the honorable Colonel being rescued yesterday — God bless him — our soldiers are ALL doing God’s work!”
But these photos are fake, according to PolitiFact. They were created using artificial intelligence.
The U.S. government has not released any photos of the rescue or of the rescued soldiers.
The photo, in AI detection programs, rates that it was likely created using AI. Also, inconsistencies in the image — such as extra fingers on a hand, mixed up stripes on the flag, and a blurry background — are all signs that it was created using AI.
Jonathan is still alive
There was a recent post about Jonathan, the 194-year-old giant tortoise living on Saint Helena.
“Heartbroken to share that our beloved Jonathan, the world’s oldest living land animal, has passed away today peacefully on Saint Helena. As his vet for many years, it was an honour to care for him — hand-feeding bananas, watching him bask in the sun and marvelling at his quiet wisdom,” read the X post, which appeared to come from veterinarian Joe Hollins.
The post also asked for cryptocurrency donations.
But that post is fake, according to The Guardian. It was posted by an impostor.
The real vet, Jonathan Hollins, issued a follow-up statement.
“Jonathan the tortoise is very much alive. I believe on X the person purporting to be me is asking for crypto donations, so it’s not even an April fool joke. It’s a con,” Hollins said.
Jonathan, believed to be the oldest living land animal on Earth, has lived on the grounds of the governor’s mansion on St. Helena since 1882.
Gov. Nigel Phillips told The Guardian he received messages following the false post so he searched the grounds.
“Jonathan (was) asleep under a tree in the paddock,” Phillips said.
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.