A video recently surfaced on social media claiming that an asteroid collided with the Moon. The content, which has two perspectives: one, the destructive impact of the asteroid on the Moon, seen from space; and another from planet Earth – apart from the video, no more relevant information is added to confirm this supposed space disaster. However, this is a false publication.
Unlike what happens with similar content, in this case the video reveals a considerable image quality. However, if we search for news about the catastrophic event, it is not possible to find results that confirm the veracity of what was shared. Neither in Portugal nor abroad. NASA, a federal agency linked to the area of astronomy and space in the United States, for example, has not made any recent reference to a collision of that magnitude.
On the other hand, by inserting the terms “simulation of an asteroid collision” or even “what would happen if an asteroid collided with the Moon” in a new search, then we can reach results that show us the same content. as discussed in this fact check, but which appear to indicate that they have been manipulated. Or, to be more precise, digitally manufactured.
The English newspaper Metro shared, in 2021, images of a YouTube channel that it was animating, using the technique of close upa supposed collision very similar to the one we see in the original post. On the same platform, by typing exactly the same text, we can find videos with the name “asteroid collides with the Moon” (in English) and, curiously, we also find images very similar to the one the Observer is reviewing.
Although the video is from June of this year, that is, very recent, it has already been verified by other international fact-checkers from around the world. Although we are dealing with a manipulated video, it is important to say that the collision of asteroids with planets or satellites has already occurred and remains a real threat. In fact, that was exactly what astrophysicist Josep María Trigo Rodríguez assured El Observador this year.
It was also news that in 2029 an asteroid will pass near Earth. But it is not possible to obtain real and duly verified images of it, nor, as is easy to understand, records of impacts of that body with the Moon. It is only possible to find digitally manipulated images, as we find in the. original post reviewed here. It is also important to note that the Moon has already been impacted by asteroids in the last three billion years. Hence its shape full of craters.
Conclusion
It is not true that a video posted on social media actually shows a collision between an asteroid and the Moon. This video was digitally manipulated and can be seen on platforms such as YouTube. It is also possible to find a news story that talks about “the possibility of seeing a collision between the Moon and an asteroid.”
Thus, according to Observer’s classification system, this content is:
MISLEADING
In Facebook’s rating system, this content is:
PARTLY FALSE: Content claims are a combination of accurate and inaccurate facts, or the main claim is misleading or incomplete.
NOTE: This content was curated by Observador as part of a fact-checking partnership with Facebook.
Source: Observadora
