This image has been circulating online since early June, sparking some wild claims about a “shadowy” celestial object sighted in the sky over Toronto, Canada. In the image, a glowing red sphere looms large over the city skyline.
According to some of the viral claim posts we’ve seen, the red spherical object was neither the sun nor the moon – appearing for around 45 minutes over Toronto in the early hours of June 3. These posts also claim that all scientists are “baffled” as to the cause of the unusual occurrence. Some have tied this claim to conspiracies such as chemical attacks, while others claim that supernatural or extra-terrestrial forces are at play.
Despite the startling and rather apocalyptic visuals of the viral image, we took a closer look to see if there is a scientific or logical explanation behind the red sphere – or if it even occurred at all. A reverse image search showed that the image did only start circulating on the internet in early June – meaning that it is likely newly photographed or created. However, we suspected the image could be digitally enhanced or AI-generated because of the object’s large size and the lack of similar images from other angles and locations to corroborate it.
We then looked up the weather and environment in Toronto on June 3 and found that sightings of a “red orb” were reported on by local news outlets and filmed by social media users over several days in early June. However, these videos appear to show a significantly smaller red orb – nothing like the one in the claim posts. And, all of these videos specifically identify the red orb as the sun rather than a separate unidentified “celestial object.” 
Based on our research, the sun appearing red is not a new phenomenon. Typically occurring around sunrise and sunset, the sun can sometimes take on a red hue as a result of changes in the atmosphere – such as haze and smoke particles.
While the sun is a white star, it usually appears to us as yellow because of a phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering – where sunlight (which contains different coloured wavelengths of light) is scattered through the molecules and particles in the atmosphere. The shorter wavelength blue light scatters first and results in us seeing the sky as blue, while yellow wavelengths scattering across the atmosphere makes the sun appear yellow.
In the recent Toronto case, wildfires occurring in the Northwestern region of Canada caused heavy haze and thick smoke particles which altered how light was scattered – shorter wave lengths of blue and green were blocked, allowing longer red and orange wavelengths to pass through. This resulted in the sun appearing bright red. This is well documented and well understood natural phenomena, which has been recorded multiple times both in Toronto and all over the world.
Therefore, while a bright red sun is not typical, it can be clearly attributed to recent wildfires and does not represent a mysterious or baffling occurrence. The claim posts and accompanying image of a massive orb are both obscuring key context about what really occurred (such as the many existing scientific explanations) and intentionally creating false representations of the red sun using AI or digital manipulation.
Contrary to the claim, a “large celestial object” has not been spotted. Instead, a fake image was created to leverage on reports of a bright red sun – likely to gain virality or to push other conspiracies. We give this claim a rating of false.
One of the most viral claim posts on X has over 8.2 million views and combined the fake image with half-truths and some fabricated statements in a thread of follow-up posts phrased to sound like a legitimate news report or article.
On close examination, details about location and sighting times (of the red sun) appear to be accurate, while quotes from supposed experts are plainly false and likely AI-generated.
“Chief Meteorologist James Stuart” and “Dr. Thomas Jefferson of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada” are both quoted giving statements about the giant orb and its unidentified nature. However, James Stuart is a retired American meteorologist, not a current Canadian expert. And, there are no records of a Dr. Thomas Jefferson in the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
The tactic of using fake quotes and “reporting” alongside fake images and claims can be very misleading at first glance – making it harder to easily parse the truth. Conducting cross-checks such as googling quotes to confirm their source is more important than ever to weed out intentional disinformation such as in this claim.
