A prominent scientist was forced to apologize after pranking his Twitter followers with a photo. Étienne Klein posted a picture of what he claimed was a high-powered telescope image. Klein captioned the photo, “Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun. Located 4.2 light years away from us. It was taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. This level of detail ... A new world is unveiled every day,"

As it turns out, the dark reddish orb with speckles of orange and white was not, in fact, a star. Instead, it was a slice of chorizo, which is a spicy sausage of Spanish origin. Klein revealed the ruse in a series of subsequent posts.

Klein said, "According to contemporary cosmology, no object related to Spanish charcuterie exists anywhere else other than on Earth.” He later apologized, explaining that his point was to prevent people from taking internet photos at face value, especially those “that seem to speak for themselves.”

The James Webb Telescope went operational in July, and is capable of viewing phenomena through infrared light, which is invisible to the naked eye. It’s been a popular attraction for people searching for rare astronomical photos. After apologizing, Klein posted a photo of the Cartwheel galaxy from the telescope, which he repeatedly assured his followers was real.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Even when joking, we must be careful not to deceive others, otherwise we contribute to a breakdown in communal trust.