NZ photographer defends satellite image against AI claims after it goes viral
Brendan Larsen's viral night-sky photo of 1,400 satellites sparked accusations that he used AI and debate.
Brendan Larsen spent two hours in September shooting 578 photographs of the night sky. They were taken over Mount Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island.
Each one captured about 25 satellites. Larsen then spent about 45 hours layering the images in Photoshop.
He carefully removed stars to show the satellites below. The final image shows about 1,400 satellites in a thick crisscross pattern.
Larsen uploaded it in mid-October, and it went viral. He gained 15,000 new followers and tens of millions of views.
Many viewers accused him of using AI. Larsen documented his creative process on video to show the image was real.
He notes it's getting harder to tell AI from real images, especially for unknown places. About 16,000 working satellites orbit Earth, along with tens of thousands of broken spacecraft and debris.
- 2 hours in September
- Shooting duration
- 578
- Photos captured
- about 25
- Satellites per photo
- 40 hours in Photoshop
- Editing hours
Why it mattersThe image shows how many satellites now cross the night sky. It sparked concern about light pollution and how astronomy will change.
AustraliaAustralians share the same concerns about satellite pollution affecting stargazing; the image has sparked global debate relevant to southern-hemisphere observers.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 4 h ago
