The claim: Image shows conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter
A viral image shared to Facebook purports to show the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn, in which the two planets appeared closer to each other than they have in centuries.
"Best photo I have seen of the conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn taken from an observatory in Chile," reads a Dec. 23 Facebook post with over 700 shares. Accompanying the text is an alleged photo of the phenomenon that credits @gm_astrophotography.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user and the @gm_astrophotography account on Instagram for comment.
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Special effect added to image
The account @gm_astrophotography originally shared the image on Dec. 21 and provided an explanation behind it.
"This is what the conjunction looks like through my small 72mm refractor telescope," the account wrote along with a series of images from the conjunction. "Notice the colorful defraction spikes coming from the planets. They are unique in the fact that defraction spikes can differ depending on the shape and size of the planet!"
Diffraction spikes in astrophotography are "artifacts" that show on images of brighter stars where beams of light run through an obstacle on the camera lens and are bent, causing the light to spread out to capture a better image of the sky, according to Photographing Space. Said another way, in an image of a star or planet, they are the straight beams of light that point out in four directions from the object.
The Instagram user explained that the conjunction image of Saturn and Jupiter each with prominent spikes was captured by using tape and rubber bands stretched across the front of the refractor in a symmetrical pattern of a plain cross to add "something a little extra to the image."
The account owner added in the comments that the photo was taken in Massachusetts — not at an observatory in Chile, as claimed by the Facebook user.
What was the conjunction?
The last time Jupiter and Saturn came this close was in 1623. The conjunction peaked on Dec. 21, however, the planets appeared closer than the diameter of a full moon until Dec. 25, USA TODAY reported.
The two planets had already been moving closer to each other throughout 2020, and while the gas giants appear close, they are still millions of miles apart in space reality, according to Night Sky Network.
"Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another," Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan.told USA TODAY earlier this month.
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Our rating: True
The image claiming to show the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is real, rated as TRUE, based on our research. The image shows the conjunction on its peak night; a photography technique using a symmetrical pattern adds a special effect to the image. The photo was taken from Massachusetts. Claims that state the image was made at an observatory in Chile are partly false.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Images of Saturn, Jupiter with special effect are real
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