A mesmerizing time-lapse of Jupiter’s moons Europa and Io orbiting the massive gas giant has recently taken the Internet by storm, captivating viewers with its extraordinary beauty. Some skeptics have questioned the authenticity of the footage, claiming it seems too stunning to be real.

While caution is crucial when evaluating online visuals—especially given the prevalence of digitally altered content shared for attention—this particular video is completely authentic. Renowned fact-checking platform Snopes has also verified its legitimacy, offering additional assurance.

The creator of this remarkable piece is Kevin M. Gill, a skilled NASA-JPL engineer known for his expertise in planetary image processing. Gill crafted the animation by carefully stitching together a series of images captured by the Cassini spacecraft during its flyby of Jupiter in 2001. Importantly, no computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used to produce this awe-inspiring video.

The footage vividly showcases Io and Europa gracefully orbiting Jupiter. A common misconception arises from Io’s seemingly slower orbit compared to Europa, even though Io is closer to Jupiter. However, this phenomenon has a simple scientific explanation.

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