Fact Check: ISRO logo, National Emblem imprints on moon's surface digitally created
NewsMeter found that the image is not an imprint of the Chandrayaan rover and was created digitally using Photoshop.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 24 Aug 2023 3:26 PM IST
Screengrab from the X post.
Hyderabad: An image of the Indian Space Research Organisationās (ISRO) logo and Indiaās National Emblem imprinted on a grey surface is viral on social media. Users claim it shows the Chandrayaan-3 roverās imprint on the moonās surface.
An X user by the handle name Major Madan Kumar shared the image and wrote, āImage permanently imprinted on the surface of Moon today onward as Tyres of the rover has this imprint, as there is no air on moon hence these marks will be forever. (sic)ā
(Image Credit: X/@major_madha)
Multiple X with blue ticks and Facebook users have shared the image claiming the same.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the image is not an imprint of the Chandrayaan rover and was created digitally using Photoshop.
At the bottom left corner of the image, we noticed a watermark with the name ā@Krishanshu Gargā.
Taking this as a cue, we looked for the person's social media accounts and found an Instagram account with the same name, Krishanshu Garg. We found the viral image in the story highlights on his Instagram account. The story was uploaded before the Chandrayaan-3 landing and it also featured a countdown timer for the landing.
(Image Credit: Instagram)
We also found Garg stating in several of his Instagram stories that the image is an artwork he created.
(Image Credit: Instagram)
NewsMeter reached out to Garg for further confirmation. He said he is a space enthusiast from Lucknow and confirmed that he created the image using Photoshop. āMy motive was never to spread any sort of fake news. I posted the countdown story 10 hours before the landing, but I donāt know how people are forwarding it as a real image after the landing,ā he added.
We also could not find an image of any imprint released by the ISRO at the time of writing this article. Hence, we conclude that the image does not show the real imprint of the Chandrayaan-3 rover. The claim is false.
