FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show The Moon Rising Over The North Pole?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows the moon rising over the North Pole.

Verdict: False

The video was created through the use of computer-generated imagery. It does not show a real event.

Fact Check: 

The Facebook video appears to show the moon rising and hovering unusually close to Earth before briefly blocking the sun. The video has also circulated on Twitter, with one version being viewed over 6.2 million times.

“The moon is in the North Pole, where the day lasts 24 hours and the moon appears in only 30 seconds completely and blocks the sun for only 5 seconds and then disappears, a breathtaking view,” reads the video’s caption. (RELATED: Does This Image Show ‘Earth, Venus And Jupiter As Seen From Mars’?)

The video is computer-generated, however, and does not show a real video of the moon crossing over the North Pole. A keyword search revealed the video appeared on TikTok in a May 2021 post shared by user @LaryLoo. The caption of that post appears to credit the video to TikTok user @aleksey__nz, who has identified himself as Aleksey Patrev on other social media accounts and describes himself as a “digital creator” on his Instagram account.

Patrev told AFP Fact Check in May 2021 that he created the video using a series of digital tools and programs. Videos and posts on his social media accounts show he often posts digitally created videos and visuals. He previously shared the video of the moon allegedly passing over the North Pole on his YouTube account.

Check Your Fact previously debunked an image claiming to show a sunset at the North Pole in July 2021.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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