Claimed Fact:
An image posted online in early November 2024 by NASA depicted Jupiter. Ratings and Context for Image Analysis.
Although this photo depicts Jupiter, its hues were digitally enhanced for maximum impact.
Unfortunately for them though, these days all they seem to hear about are stories about missing children! So the bottom line for us all: it seems the world doesn’t stop moving because someone needs money or another needs medical care!
Early November 2024 saw an image allegedly published by NASA of Jupiter which circulated online social networks. One Reddit user explained (archived) of this photo release by NASA as having shown some of the sharpest views ever released of Jupiter by scientists.
(Reddit u/Correct_Presence_936) This image quickly spread across social media sites including Reddit, 9GAG Threads VK Russian social networking platform as well as Polish language websites like Demotywatory and Obrazkowo.
People were quick to draw parallels between this event and Vincent van Gogh’s works and this planet. One 9GAG user suggested this was in approval from Van Gogh while one Reddit user commented, “My first thought was ‘Van Gogh planet.’ “
Although its colors were altered digitally for enhanced impact, we still considered this claim accurate given that NASA originally released this photo and accurately depicted Jupiter.
NASA’s Mission Juno website offered one such image. According to their description, Mission Juno explores Jupiter to uncover any secrets from our solar system; one image featured here read “Northern Circumpolar Cyclones.” It had no accompanying text for better clarification.
(NASA/JPL/SWRI/MSSS / Gerald Eichstadt)
A NASA spokesperson informed via email that the image published on their website, displayed above, isn’t actually an original one but instead “made by Gerald Eichstadt (a prominent image processor).”
Eichstadt’s image has been transformed to match Eichstadt’s detailed description:
This image has been reprojected according to an initial geometrical camera model, cleaned of some camera artifacts, approximately illuminated adjusted using a 3rd degree polynomial BRDF over incidence and emission angles using images captured with PJ50 cameras, linearized into radiometric values with linear factors of (0.629;1.0;3.65) applied for RGB channels from inbound JunoCam images from PJ63 JunoCam images then white balanced using linear factors (0.629;1.0;3.65) for R, G and B channels and displayed with respect to square root values gamma=2.
Mission Juno shares raw images captured from JunoCam and encourages its audience to apply their own image processing: from cropping an image for simple viewing or emphasizing particular atmospheric features to adding your own custom enhancements, collage creation and advanced color reconstruction techniques – we welcome all kinds of processing! According to Mission Juno’s website, they share raw photos with anyone willing to process them their way: from simply cropping to emphasizing certain atmospheric features or adding color enhancements and advanced reconstruction technologies!
The website stated it invites “citizen scientists to explore new methods of processing these images so as to bring out both Jupiter’s beauty and mysteries through them.
Therefore, the image of Jupiter that circulated across social media was an actual photograph taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft but modified to enhance colors and contrast per NASA guidelines.
NASA spokesperson said, stating ” The version on Reddit may have been created directly from raw files by another individual, or taken Gerald’s version as its starting point and modified further from there; this occurs regularly.”
Below is a comparison between Eichstadt’s original image (left) and its color-enhanced rendition (right).
NASA/JPL/SwRI/MSSS / Gerald Eichstadt and Reddit’s Correct_Presence_936) For further reading, we analyzed photographs allegedly depicting celestial bodies such as these:
Function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
[if(f.fbq=function()); If f is equal to function() then return;If not function then call method with apply(n,arguments),queue.push(arguments),and queue push ] for this case
If (!f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′); If this was set as true:ot []] T=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
T.src=v,s = B.getElementsByTagName(e), and umplut S is replaced with T and S in this example for Insert before (window document’script). Insert before(t,s),s beforeInsertBefore(t,s),s and this one.
Referral Link (URL of) Event Calendar Page.
Fbq(‘init’, 1092931622501594); chaudiere Fbq(track’, PageView);
