Artist Inga Nielsen made this digital composition, called ‘Hideaway’, years ago. It has gone viral with the caption ‘Sunset at the North Pole’ ever since. It is not a real photo. Image credit:
Gate-To-Nowhere of DeviantArt.

Sorry, Internet, Some Of Your Favorite Space Pictures Are Fakes

But there are resources, tips, and telltale signs to keep you from being duped.

“Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.” –Ismail Haniyeh

Space, the skies and the Universe offer beautiful sights, but for some people that just isn’t enough.

Oftentimes, the key to spotting a fake is to look for different levels-of-details between different parts of the image. Or, alternatively, for a reflected moon to appear in front of the trees. Image credit: Taken from Twitter account TheWorldStories.

Sometimes, natural landscapes are artificially enhanced, Photoshopped, or layered with fake astronomical additions.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis, as photographed on the launch pad by NASA, appears poking through a completely unrelated image of the cloud-tops. Image credit: Richard Silvera (clouds and photo manipulation).

Other times, the worst offense is an incredibly misleading caption, turning an illustration or simulation into a big lie.

The internet has sent this image viral with a caption that it is a rainbow cloud over the Himalayas. In reality, it’s a computer generated 3D render known as ‘The Ruins’. Image credit: Repawnd on DeviantArt.

Fortunately, there are some telltale signs you can look for to help you spot a fake from a…