Do These 5 Photos Prove the Moon Landing was Fake?

Fifty years ago today, grainy footage was beamed around the world of Neil Armstrong taking one small step for man onto the lunar surface. To some it is considered humankind’s greatest achievement. To others, the greatest cover up in the US government’s history.

To commemorate the anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, here are five supposedly fake or doctored photos, which for conspiracy theorists are considered proof that we never went to the Moon, and how NASA experts have tried to debunk them.

1. In the crosshairs

In some photos taken on the Moon, the crosshairs (the fine-lines built into a camera’s eyepiece for measurement) appear to be obscured by certain objects. Conspiracists believe this to be evidence that these objects were later pasted over the photos.

Obscured crosshair

Debunked? This effect can be caused by overexposure. The crosshairs are so thin (0.1mm) that bright areas of the emulsion can bleed over and hide them. Furthermore, this effect appears only in the scanned and copied photos, not the originals.

2. Dude, where’re my stars?

In none of the photos are there any stars. How can that be? And why did the Apollo astronauts claim never to have seen any during their spacewalks? Conspiracists will have us believe that NASA decided not to add the stars later because astronomers would notice the inaccuracies in their celestial positions.

Earth from the Moon in a starless sky

Debunked? Cameras snapping anything illuminated by sunlight are set to short exposure. Being on the Moon during the lunar daytime and expecting to see stars is like assuming you’ll see them through the glare of streetlamps at night on Earth. The stars could have been outshone by the sun and the light reflected off the Moon’s surface.

3. Shadow of a doubt

Shadows are shown going off in all directions, as indicated by the yellow lines in this photo. Surely this shouldn’t happen with the sun’s single light source? Conspiracists will tell you this proves that artificial lighting was used.

Inconsistent shadows

Debunked? There wouldn’t have been just one light source. Sunlight reflected from Earth, the Moon’s surface, the lunar module and the astronauts themselves would have certainly played a part. Shadows on the Moon can be further complicated by uneven ground, wide-angle lens distortion and lunar dust.

4. Solid as a prop

Strange Cs can be seen on some of the rocks and the lunar surface in certain photos. Conspiracists will argue these were studio props.

A "C" on a Moon rock

Debunked? Like the obscured crosshairs, these C shapes do not appear on the original film from the camera. This suggests they were printing imperfections, likely caused by coiled hairs.

5. Move any mountain

Wait a minute, that landscape looks awfully familiar! In some photos supposedly taken miles apart, there appear to be identical backgrounds. Conspiracists might suggest this is because they were a stage set or painted onto a backdrop.

Similar backgrounds in different areas on the Moon

Debunked? The landscapes were not identical, just similar. Owing to a lack of atmosphere on the Moon, far away mountains will come out as clearly as nearby hills, making it nigh on impossible to judge distance in photos.

So, are the conspiracists on to something? Did the US government fake it to win the space race against Russia? Did they land on the Moon, but recreate the footage and photos in a studio?

Or is it all bunkum? Considering how many people would have to be in on it, could a secret this huge have been successfully kept from the rest of us this whole time?

Is the idea of a cover up one small step towards the truth? Or one giant leap too far? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Still unsure?

Discover more in the latest issue of Fortean Times, including dozens of photos, further arguments for and against a conspiracy, and interview snippets from the Apollo 11 astronauts. Sign up from their Subscriptions page and get the magazine delivered to your door every month!