FACT CHECK: Does Video Show The Perseid Meteor Shower?
A post shared on social media purportedly shows a video showing a Perseid meteor shower that recently took place in India.
Yesterday Perseid 2023 #meteor shower from #India after 01:30 pm UT . #MeteorShower ☄️ pic.twitter.com/KzEzZ2EJsE
— UFO-Hunter (@IHuntUFOs) August 13, 2023
Verdict: False
The claim is inaccurate. The video dates back to 2022 and is of a Chinese rocket reentry over India.
Fact Check:
The Perseid Meteor shower took place on the night of Aug. 12 with great visibility due to the moon only at 10% illumination during the peak time, according to Space.com. The shower is expected to still be visible until August 28.
The Twitter post claims to show a rare meteor shower that occurred in India. The video shows several red streaks in the sky.
The caption reads, “Yesterday Perseid 2023 #meteor shower from #India after 01:30 pm UT . #MeteorShower.”
The claim is false. There is no credible news report that suggests this video shows this meteor shower. The same video was uploaded to YouTube in April of 2022. Several videos of this same occurrence were posted to Twitter at that time as well.
The video did not show a meteor show. Rather, it was footage showing the Chinese Long March-3B rocket body re-entering Earth. The rocket was expected to enter the earth at that time according to reports from Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts, United States.
I believe this is the reentry of a Chinese rocket stage, the third stage of the Chang Zheng 3B serial number Y77 which was launched in Feb 2021 – it was expected to reenter in the next hour or so and the track is a good match pic.twitter.com/BetxCknAiK
— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) April 2, 2022
The Times of India reported on the debris found after the incident and confirmed that it was the Chinese rocket. (RELATED: Did Illinois Pass A Bill Allowing Illegal Immigrants To Apply For The Police Force?)
This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that 13 nations agreed to abolish farming as part of a new international agreement.
