The Artemis II mission has generated widespread enthusiasm worldwide, yet it has also triggered a surge in conspiracy theories online alleging that space agencies are fabricating lunar missions. Among these claims are posts presenting two images of Earth, purportedly taken 54 years apart, showing suspiciously identical cloud formations over Africa.
In a notable development, the side-by-side images circulating on social media have been identified as products of artificial intelligence rather than authentic photographs from the Artemis crew. A Facebook reel posted on April 5, 2026, features a voiceover questioning the identical cloud patterns, stating, “This is two pictures 55 years apart. Left is 1972. The right is the new Artemis II picture from 2026. Now, why are the clouds over Africa identical? If this is a true picture, how could this be real then?” The clip displays two hemispheres of Earth, with the left image labeled as taken during the 1972 Apollo 17 lunar mission and the right claimed to be from Artemis II’s April 2026 lunar flyby.
The Apollo 17 crew, who last walked on the Moon in December 1972, famously captured the “Blue Marble” photograph, the only single-shot, full-globe image of Earth taken by humans in space until Artemis II released new images, including one by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman on April 2, 2026. However, no matching images have been found in NASA’s official “Journey to the Moon” gallery.
Detection tools have revealed the artificial nature of the disputed image. Google’s SynthID tool identified an invisible watermark linked to AI-generated content created with its software. Similarly, Hive Moderation flagged the image as likely containing AI-generated or deepfake elements, specifically from Google’s Gemini AI system.
Experts have expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the side-by-side images. Jennifer Levasseur, space history curator at the US National Air and Space Museum, noted that the split image appears to be the same photo shown from two perspectives rather than two distinct pictures. Jonathan Bamber, professor of Earth observation and glaciology at the University of Bristol, explained that while clouds cover about half the planet at any time, identical cloud patterns never occur in the same location. Theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics suggested the images likely derive from a NASA recreation inspired by the 1972 “Blue Marble,” enhanced with recent satellite data and modified to mirror each side.
Hundreds of satellites continuously monitor Earth’s atmosphere, land, and oceans, providing extensive data on environmental changes. Some social media users have misused the side-by-side images to question human-induced climate change, pointing out unchanged coastlines and clear skies. Bamber refuted these claims, affirming that satellite observations reveal significant changes such as increased desertification, marine heat waves, and shifts in cyclone patterns. He also highlighted reductions in snow cover extent over the past five decades.
The Artemis II crew conducted prolonged visual observations during their mission, which included breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth. After completing their lunar flyby, the astronauts were scheduled to return to Earth, with splashdown planned in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast late on April 10.
