NASA Saturn hexagon post sparks backlash over AI-generated octagon image
A Bluesky account claiming to share NASA imagery of Saturn's storm is accused of posting AI-generated content with a wrong shape.
What to know
- A Bluesky account posted an image claimed to show NASA's hexagonal Saturn storm, but commenters immediately identified it as AI-generated, depicting an octagon instead.
- Multiple technical impossibilities flagged: stars visible inside the storm (physically impossible in a real photograph), shape mismatch with known NASA Cassini data, and no active space probe near Saturn.
- The account has a documented history of posting misleading AI content falsely attributed to NASA, prompting users to recommend blocking it.
- The incident highlights growing public concern about AI-generated images eroding trust in visual media and the difficulty of verifying authenticity online.
The dispute A minority of commenters defend the image as real (citing the hexagon shape) or engage in joking/speculative interpretations, but they are heavily outnumbered by users confident the image is AI-generated. · positions read across 84 posts and comments
The image is AI-generated; Saturn's storm is actually hexagonal, and the image has physical impossibilities like visible stars.
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“If this were a real photo* the news would have been it shifted from a hexagon to an octagon. This is just AI confusing the two”
krooshof.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The account has a systematic pattern of posting misleading AI content with false NASA attribution and should be blocked.
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“Not the first time this account has posted BS. I'll block him.”
fauli.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
AI-generated misinformation is eroding trust and making it hard to know what is real.
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“AI is making it hard to know what is real...”
cmm2811.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
redditspaceviewes.bsky.social Bluesky account operatorkrooshof.bsky.social Commenterpsimple.bsky.social Commenter
How it unfolded 6 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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6
User questions motivation for posting fake images
A commenter asks: "Can someone explain to me the motivation and purpose for posting fake images like this? Is there some kind of pay out? I don't understand the purpose…" The thread reveals disagreement on whether the account profits from misleading posts or simply seeks attention.
“Can someone explain to me the motivation and purpose for posting fake images like this? Is there some kind of pay out?”
— jdpinc.bsky.social -
Can someone explain to me the motivation and purpose for posting fake images like this? Is there some kind of pay out? I don’t understand the purpose…
2 more of the top 3 · 65 posts in this stretch
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The posted image seems to have been synthetically generated. Its octagon doesn't match the hexagon NASA published from the Cassini flyby (below):
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Tjis picture is AI. The real thing is a hexagon and does not have stars in the center.
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5
Users report account history of false posts and recommend blocking
Multiple commenters, including fauli.bsky.social and psimple.bsky.social, note the account has a pattern of posting misleading AI-generated content, sometimes falsely credited to NASA. Users advise blocking or muting the account.
“Not the first time this account has posted BS. I'll block him.”
— fauli.bsky.social -
Thx. Not the first time this account has posted BS. I'll block him.
2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
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Insane new image of the unfathomably endless power of Artificial Stupidity. How many cubic meters of clean water did you spoil for getting that shit?
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This is probably where the fallen are being held.
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Broader concern emergesAI making it hard to distinguish real from fake
A commenter voices a wider worry: "AI is making it hard to know what is real..." The conversation shifts from correcting the specific post to discussing the challenge of verifying images in an age of generative media.
“AI is making it hard to know what is real...”
— cmm2811.bsky.social -
AI is making it hard to know what is real...
1 more of the top 2 · 3 posts in this stretch
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it's a wormhole. who's going to be the first to fly into it? sounds like a job for Elon Musk
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3
Users flag AI generation and physical impossibilities
Commenter krooshof.bsky.social outlines three technical issues: the shape shifted from hexagon to octagon, stars are visible through the storm's eye (impossible in a real photo), and no advanced space probe is currently near Saturn. Another calls it "AI confusing the two."
“If this were a real photo* the news would have been it shifted from a hexagon to an octagon. This is just AI confusing the two…”
— krooshof.bsky.social -
If this were a real photo* the news would have been it shifted from a hexagon to an octagon. This is just AI confusing the two * The turbulence is not on logical places to form the octagon. * There are stars seen through the eye of the storm * There is no advanced space probe near Saturn right now.
2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
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It is hexagonal, even if AI doesn’t know what a hexagon is.
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Nice AI image. Now show us the real one.
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Commenters identify shape discrepancy: octagon, not hexagon
Within 20 minutes, multiple users begin challenging the post's description, noting the shape in the image has eight sides, not six. A user asks "Can you count to 8? It's an octagon; not a hexagon!"
“Can you count to 8? It's an octagon; not a hexagon!”
— hagios.bsky.social -
Can you count to 8? It's an octagon; not a hexagon!
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Bluesky account posts image claimed to be NASA's Saturn hexagon
The account redditspaceviewes.bsky.social posts an image with the caption "NASA releases insane new image of the mighty hexagonal storm on Saturn's North Pole," describing it as a NASA photograph.
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R
NASA releases insane new image of the mighty hexagonal storm on Saturn's North Pole.
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What people are saying 12 voices from 1 site · best of 84 · verbatim
- What is the account's motivation for posting fake images—profit, attention, or something else?
- How does Saturn's actual hexagonal storm differ from the AI-generated octagon in the post?
- Sep 11
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In fact is a fake. An hexagon does'nt have 8 sides.
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- This picture from the NASA Cassini mission shows a hexagonal cloud pattern around Saturn’s North Pole."
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Dear @redditspaceviewes.bsky.social, When you post fakes such as this, are you aware that you're posting fakes or are you unaware that you're posting fakes?
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Because AI doesn’t know that it’s impossible for stars to be inside a storm on a planet. It also can’t tell the difference between an octagon and a hexagon, apparently. 🙄
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This is AI slop and it’s not even a hexagon. That’s an octagon…
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B
That's an AI image, it doesn't have stars in the middle.
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You mean it doesn't have stars in the middle? Cue someone who's never seen a beehive speculating that the shape must mean something.
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Thanks for posting. Yes, it is only 6 sided. Still an amazing sight.
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Some folks take joy in misleading people. It makes them feel smart. Others mislead people to make money.
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So the AI made an octogon out of what is really a hexagon? #Saturn
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“The thing’s hollow – it goes on forever – and – oh my God! – it’s full of stars!”
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You know, I find it hard to understand how I have problems with everything I see anymore. But the storm on Saturn is not a hexagon. It's an octagon obviously, it's got eight sides, not six. So either the pictures screwed up, or the guy who posted this can't count. This would seem to be simple.