A French scientist has apologized for tweeting a photo of a piece of chorizo, claiming it was an image of a distant star taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Etienne Klein, renowned physicist and director of the French Commission for Alternative Energy and Atomic Energy, shared an image of a spicy Spanish sausage on Twitter last week, praising the level of detail.

The post was retweeted and commented on by thousands of users who took the scientist at his word.

Klein later admitted that the image was actually a close-up of a slice of chorizo ​​taken against a black background.

He apologized for the deception, stating that his intention was to urge caution about images that seem to speak for themselves. In an attempt to make amends, he posted an image of the spectacular Cartwheel galaxy, assuring followers that this time the photo was genuine.