Unrelated visuals shared as footage captured by Chandrayaan-3 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 6, 2023
After the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3’s Lander Module on the lunar surface on 23 August 2023, and the subsequent deployment of the Pragyan rover, several visuals claiming to be from Chandrayaan-3 have been extensively circulated on social media. This article aims to verify each of these visuals.
Update (06 September 2023):
Another video is being shared as the footage of the moon captured by the Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
A reverse image search of the viral video directed us to identical visuals present on NASA’s official website. The rover featured in the video is none other than “Curiosity,” which NASA launched to Mars in 2011. The website disclosed that this image was made by combining numerous photos captured by the rover’s handheld camera during the period between April and May 2014. Footage released by ISRO following the landing of Chandrayaan-3 can be seen here.
Update (29 August 2023):
Another image is circulating widely on social media, claiming to depict the view of the Earth captured by Chandrayaan-3 from the lunar surface. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Conducting a reverse image search on the viral image led us to a news report published by Wion News on 23 August 2023 around 11 a.m., just a few hours prior to the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander’s lunar surface landing. The report further indicated that the image is an AI-generated representation depicting how Earth might appear from the Moon. However, as of the time of writing this article, ISRO has not yet released the images captured by Chandrayaan-3 post-landing. An image of the Earth, captured by the Lander Imager camera aboard Chandrayaan-3 on 14 July 2023 – the day of its launch – can be seen here.
Update (28 August 2023):
Visual 1:
Another video depicting the scenery of an unidentified location is being widely shared on social media, with claims that it showcases visuals from the Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Upon close examination, we noticed a watermark reading “Tavi Technical Space” on the viral video. Additionally, at the 27-second mark, there is a subtitle that reads, ‘The scene was captured with the Curiosity Rover…‘. Based on these clues, we conducted further investigation and successfully located the original video. This video, presented in colour, aligns with the visuals showcased in the viral video. The original video was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Tavi Technical Space’ on 08 August 2023. Both the title and the description of the video confirm that it was captured by the Curiosity rover’s onboard Mast cams on Mars, specifically on the 3899th Martain Day or Sol. For more comprehensive details regarding the visuals of the viral video, one can refer to the NASA official website.
Visual 2:
Another image, which presents a close-up view of a rock, is being shared on social media claiming that the picture was taken by Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Conducting a reverse image search on the viral video directed us to the primary video released on the YouTube Channel titled “Infinity” on 20 August 2023. Nonetheless, the video attributes the content to be recorded by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars during Sol 3921. Based on this information, we proceeded to search for the image on the NASA website, confirming its authenticity.
Visual 3:
Another video is being widely shared on social media claiming to show the Visuals of the Lunar South Pole sent by the Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Upon investigation, we discovered that the video comprises several segments, and by conducting a reverse image search for each individual frame, we were able to trace them back to their original sources. The initial segment showcases an image taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars during Sol 2667. Subsequently, the following section features a compilation of images depicting the rock that was drilled by the Perseverance rover on Mars during Sol 850.
Visual 4:
Another video, which presents a close-up view of a rock, is being shared on social media claiming that the picture was taken by Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Conducting a reverse image search on the viral visuals, we traced their origin to the original video uploaded on the YouTube channel ‘Som ET’ on 25 July 2023. The video labels the image as one captured by the MAST_RIGHT camera aboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 837. Taking a cue from this information, we proceeded to compare the visuals available on the NASA website for the same date, confirming their authenticity.
Published (25 August 2023):
Visual 1:
A video claiming to show the planet Earth from the surface of the moon is being shared as the recording from the Chandrayaan-3. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the original video posted by a user named Mithilesh Keshari on X (formerly Twitter) on 20 August 2023. However, he clarified that the video was AI-generated and not real footage from Chandrayaan-3. Furthermore, the Earth footage (here & here) captured by Chandrayaan-3 and released by ISRO does not align with the visuals depicted in the viral video.
It’s AI generated and people should use common sense that no one reached with such HD camera to shoot Video. 😂
Visual 2:
Another photo is being shared on social media, with the claim that it depicts visuals of Mars captured by Chandrayaan-3 against the lunar horizon. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
A reverse image search of the viral image has led us to the original photo published on NASA’s website on 15 August 2020. According to the description, the image was taken from Earth using a space telescope. The photograph, captured by Sergio Scauso from Argentina, features the moon in the foreground and Mars in the background.