No, This 'Sharpest Image' of Moon Was Not Captured By ISRO's Chandrayaan-3

The photographer confirmed to us that this image of the Moon was clicked in 2021 and its unrelated to Chandrayaan-3.

An image of the moon is going viral on the internet to claim that it was clicked by Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3.

This image went viral after ISRO announced that Chandrayaan-3 will land on the Moon's surface on 23 August.

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: This is an old image from 2021 and is unrelated to ISRO and Chandrayaan-3.

• This was created by a Kurdish astrophotographer, Darya Kawa, after processing and merging 400 raw images he captured.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on the image that led us to a Reddit post by a user named 'daryavaseum'.

• The post dates back to 2021 and states that these images are clicked and edited by him.

• We also found his verified Instagram account by the name Darya Kawa.

• Kawa had shared the same image on 20 November 2021, much before the launch of Chandrayaan-3.

• He mentions that the equipment that he has used to capture this image are Celestron Nexstar 8SE (telescope) and Canon EOS 1200D (camera).

• He also runs a website for selling his photographs of celestial objects mainly the Moon.

Old reports about the image: We also found old reports by NDTV and Newsweek carrying the same image.

• An article shared published on 6 October 2022 by Newsweek carries an interview with the photographer where he states that he combined more than 300 raw images to reveal the color and clarity of the Moon's surface.

• It also states that the photo illuminates a section of the Moon which shows several crater marks and ridges illuminated by the sun.

We reached out to the photographer: We also contacted Kawa who dismissed this viral claim.

• "This image was clicked by me in November 2021," he added.

Updates about Chandrayaan-3: According to ISRO's latest updates, Chandrayaan-3 will land on the Moon's surface at around 6:00 PM on 23 August.

• ISRO also shared new images that the lunar module took of the Moon.

• The photos were taken by a camera that has been fitted to help the Vikram lander find a safe landing spot when it touches down on the unexplored lunar south polar region of the Moon.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

Here are the images of
Lunar far side area
captured by the
Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC).

This camera that assists in locating a safe landing area -- without boulders or deep trenches -- during the descent is developed by ISRO… pic.twitter.com/rwWhrNFhHB

— ISRO (@isro) August 21, 2023

Conclusion: Clearly, old and unrelated images of the Moon are going viral to falsely claim that it was clicked by ISRO's Chandrayaan-3.

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