Claim: The image shows the “Christmas star” captured by the Hubble telescope
Jupiter and Saturn line up in the night sky this week, as the two planets have appeared close to each other since the Middle Ages, and many have called it the “Christmas star.”
Online social media users traded pictures of the phenomenon, and one viral picture It has been shared widely on Facebook to show the Christmas star captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
“Star of Bethlehem captured by Hubble – WOW !!” One user wrote in Mail Which has more than 4000 shares.
Another user, “Last night taken from the Hubble telescope.” Wrote, Accompanied by the alleged image of a large, bright star surrounded by smaller stars.
One user Mutual The same image writes, “The Hubble Christmas Star Telescope. Amazing does not begin to describe it.”
USA TODAY reached out to the users behind the claims for comment.
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Photo illustration
A reverse image search on Google reveals that the image is an illustration and was not captured by the Hubble Telescope.
The illustration that can be seen on Getty Images, Titled “Glowing Star Arrow Vector Background Space – Vector Arrows.”
The caption for the photo reads: “This vector illustration is marked by space with a slightly bright star at the top side. It is a mixture of tiny distant stars with intersecting refractions of light that includes vivid colors, including vibrant blue and blue. Depth. The image is characterized by lighter tones. “
The same image can also be displayed on IStock photos, Which states that the illustration was uploaded to the site on June 1, 2015, which also reveals that the photo was not recently taken.
Actual images of the rare “Christmas star” phenomenon show Jupiter and Saturn close to each other with two points of light in the dark sky, with Saturn being the farthest from Earth, and is weaker, Reported by USA TODAY.
Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan told USA TODAY, “People will have to work a little” to see the conjunction and that the two planets “won’t suddenly look like a bright” Christmas star “.
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Our rating: False
The image claiming to be the “Christmas star” captured by the Hubble Space Telescope is a wrong image, based on our research. The image is an illustration from 2015 and does not resemble actual images from recent close alignments of Jupiter and Saturn.
Our sources for fact-checking:
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