# Elon Tweet Meme The Elon Tweet Meme refers to the viral reaction after Elon Musk tweeted an "Occupy Mars" image on June 23, 2019, that actually showed a photograph of the moon during a lunar eclipse rather than Mars. The SpaceX CEO's mix-up between Earth's moon and the red planet sparked widespread mockery on Twitter, with users roasting the billionaire for not recognizing basic celestial bodies despite running a space company. ## Origin The image itself predates Musk's tweet. On January 22, 2019, Twitter user @dodiewill2 tweeted the "Occupy Mars" graphic (originally from the website TeeRepublic) at Musk, asking him to speed up Mars colonization plans[3]. The image featured the words "Occupy Mars" overlaid on a photo of a blood moon from a 2018 lunar eclipse. Five months later, on June 23, 2019, Musk tweeted the same image without any caption[3]. The post pulled massive engagement: over 138,000 likes, 16,000 retweets, and 3,700 comments within 24 hours[3]. The tweet came shortly after Musk had posted about "accelerating Starship development to build the Martian Technocracy"[1]. - **Platform:** Twitter - **Creator:** Elon Musk (original poster), @dodiewill2 (original image source), @flcnhvy (first correction) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview The meme centers on Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, posting an image captioned "Occupy Mars" to his Twitter account. The problem: the image was a photograph of the moon taken during the July 2018 lunar eclipse, which gave it a reddish hue resembling Mars[1]. The blood moon coloring apparently fooled Musk into thinking it was the red planet, which made the mistake especially funny given that he literally runs a rocket company with Mars colonization as its stated goal[2]. ## How It Spread The corrections came fast. Twitter user @flcnhvy replied simply: "That's the moon," attaching a screenshot of a Google search result as proof[1]. That reply alone picked up more than 7,500 likes in 24 hours[3]. Australian scientist Upulie Divisekera delivered one of the sharpest responses: "Hey Super Space Genius, that's the moon in a total lunar eclipse"[2]. Her tweet racked up over 37,000 likes and 6,300 retweets within a day[3]. Musk acknowledged the blunder with a pair of rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emoji and the comment "Moon too"[1]. He followed up with a practical spin, telling another user: "Moon 1st, as it's only 3 days away & u don't need interplanetary orbital synchronization"[1]. The pile-on produced some memorable replies. One user wrote: "The hero who is going to colonize Mars doesn't know what Mars looks like. Fantastic!"[2] Another quipped: "you would be so much more entertaining if you were fictional"[2]. A user going by Space Pirate made a Star Wars reference: "That's no moon... no... wait... it is a moon"[2]. Several people connected Musk's gaffe to a recent tweet from President Donald Trump, who had said NASA should focus on Mars, "of which the Moon is a part"[2]. One user asked Musk: "Um... are you intentionally making fun of our President? Cuz if you're not, may I?"[2] Twitter user @BBW_BFF pushed back on the Trump theory, noting that the "Occupy Mars" image existed before Trump's tweet and arguing "I just think homedude wasn't paying attention"[3]. The story was picked up by Fox Business, CNET, Business Insider, Uproxx, and other outlets[1][2]. The incident happened just a week after Musk had claimed he was deleting his Twitter account and temporarily changed his display name to "Daddy DotCom"[1]. ## How to Use This isn't a reusable meme template in the traditional sense. The humor comes from the specific moment of a space industry CEO confusing the moon for Mars. People typically reference it by: - Screenshotting Musk's original tweet alongside the corrections - Using the "That's the moon" reply format when someone makes an obvious identification error - Bringing it up whenever Musk makes confident claims about space exploration - Pairing it with Trump's "Mars (of which the Moon is a part)" quote for a double dose of astronomical confusion ## Cultural Impact The tweet became a lightning rod for broader criticism of Musk's social media habits. Multiple major news outlets covered the gaffe, turning what could have been a quick delete-and-move-on moment into a multi-day news cycle[1][2]. The incident fed into an ongoing narrative about tech billionaires making grand claims about space colonization while tripping over basic details. The timing was notable: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket was scheduled for its first nighttime launch the very next day[2]. The juxtaposition of a major space mission with a CEO who couldn't tell the moon from Mars gave critics easy material. ## Fun Facts - The blood moon photo was from the July 2018 lunar eclipse, where the moon's reddish color during totality made it look superficially like Mars[1]. - Musk's "Moon too" recovery attempt actually worked as a pivot, since SpaceX does have lunar mission plans alongside its Mars ambitions[1]. - The "Occupy Mars" graphic originated from TeeRepublic merchandise, not from SpaceX or any Musk-affiliated source[3]. - One Twitter user tried to help by posting a photoshopped version replacing the moon with an actual Mars image, writing "hey wrong planet but I fixed it for you"[2]. - Musk had just returned to Twitter after briefly claiming he would delete his account and renaming himself "Daddy DotCom"[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Elon Tweet Meme? It refers to Elon Musk's June 2019 tweet of an "Occupy Mars" image that actually showed a photograph of the moon during a lunar eclipse, not Mars[1]. ### Where did the Elon Tweet Meme come from? The image was originally tweeted at Musk by Twitter user @dodiewill2 in January 2019, sourced from TeeRepublic merchandise. Musk reposted it without caption on June 23, 2019[3]. ### What does the Elon Tweet Meme mean? It's used to mock overconfident public figures who make basic factual errors, especially in their own area of supposed expertise[2]. ### How do you use the Elon Tweet Meme? People typically share screenshots of the original tweet alongside the corrections, or reference "That's the moon" when someone makes an obvious mistake[1]. ### Is the Elon Tweet Meme still popular? The meme had its peak in June 2019 when the incident occurred. It resurfaces occasionally when Musk makes Mars-related announcements but is largely a historical curiosity[2]. ### Who first pointed out Musk's mistake? Twitter user @flcnhvy replied "That's the moon" with a Google search screenshot as evidence[1]. Scientist Upulie Divisekera's sarcastic "Hey Super Space Genius" reply became the most viral correction[2]. ### How did Elon Musk respond to being corrected? He posted laughing emoji and replied "Moon too," then pivoted to arguing that the moon should be the first target since "it's only 3 days away"[1]. ### Was the tweet connected to Trump's moon/Mars comment? Some users speculated Musk was mocking Trump's statement that the Moon "is a part" of Mars, but others argued the image predated Trump's tweet and Musk simply wasn't paying attention[2][3]. ### How many likes did the original tweet get? The "Occupy Mars" tweet received over 138,000 likes, 16,000 retweets, and 3,700 comments in its first 24 hours[3]. ## References 1. [Elon Musk mixes up the moon and Mars in tweet | Fox Business]() 2. [SpaceX head Elon Musk mixes up the moon and Mars, and Twitter blasts off - CNET]() 3. [Elon Tweet Meme - Know Your Meme]() 4. [Doge (meme)]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/elon-tweet-meme Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library