Sunset on Earth as Seen From Space Is Computer-Generated Imagery
The Claim
An image depicts sunset on Earth as seen from space.
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A photo with the caption “This is how the Earth sunset looks from space” is circulating on social media. Many users attributed the image to NASA and the International Space Station (ISS).
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. A search of NASA’s gallery on their official website did not show the image in the claim. A relevant keyword search was conducted, which revealed that the image was a still shot of a video captioned, “Sunrise From Space. Earth From Space. Version 2018” uploaded on Pond5, as seen below.
Pond5 is an online marketplace for royalty-free media, including video, images, sound effects, and 3-D models. The 19-second video was created by Pixel25, a creator based in Germany who has many other works on his page. The video is computer-generated imagery (CGI), which applies computer graphics to create media, video games, simulations, and other animations.
Previously, astronaut Alexander Gerst shared a real image of sunset on Earth from space looks like, pictured below.
The Misbar team confirms the circulating image in the claim is misleading, as it is from a CGI video and not a real depiction.
