Video of Lunar Eclipse Is Computer Generated Imagery
The Claim
A video depicts a lunar eclipse in the Arctic region between Russia and Canada.
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Emerging story
Users on social media have been sharing a 36-second close-up video of the moon eclipsing the sun. The phenomenon, according to users, occurred in the Arctic, between Russia and Canada. The video shows the moon circling, then disappearing behind the sun, causing a total blackout before reappearing in a burst of light. The video concludes with the moon disappearing again. The claim was also shared in May 2021.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim, conducting a thorough sweep and using relevant keyword searches; the video was discovered on Tiktok in mid-May 2021, as seen below.
Following that, it was revealed that the username on the video was created by digital artist Aleksey Patrev and is a computer-generated imagery (CGI). Aleksey also mentions on Twitter that he created the video and even sold non-fungible tokens (NFT), as seen below.
Aleksey has over a hundred thousand followers on Instagram, and his bio describes him as a "digital creator and CG artist." His feed consists primarily of CGI videos, such as the one shown below.
Furthermore, the eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the sun’s lights which usually reflect the moon. However, the moon does not visibly rotate, as seen in the video, nor at that speed.
Based on the finds, the Misbar team confirms the claim is misleading. The video is computer-generated and does not depict a real lunar eclipse.
