Satellite captures stunning photo of the Earth from the far side of the Moon
An "amateur" Chinese satellite has beamed back a stunning photo of the Earth viewed from the far-side of the Moon.
The photo from 3rd February provides astronomers with a rarely seen perspective of the Earth and Moon system together.
This side of the Moon is never visible from Earth because the Moon is tidally locked to our planet, rotating at the same rate as it orbits us. This image, which was shared on Twitter yesterday and quickly started to trend, provides a glimpse of the side that faces the Sun – complete with solar damage.
This photo of Earth and the Lunar farside, maybe our best ever, was taken yesterday by the Chinese Lunar satellite DSLWP-B (Longjiang-2). The Dwingeloo telescope downloaded the photo from the satellite this morning. More info at https://t.co/sKt7w9mol9 pic.twitter.com/IsnyvqekTz
- Dwingeloo Telescoop (@radiotelescoop) February 4, 2019
A 20-inch Chinese Lunar satellite known as DSLWP-B (Longjiang-2) took the image from its orbit around the Moon. The satellite was launched into space in June 2018, but is considered an "amateur" structure because it isn't affiliated with any space agency.
The camera which captured this stunning shot was built by students. The image was then beamed back to the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope in the northeastern Netherlands, and downloaded.
Astronomers there shared the photo on their Twitter account. One of the students who created the camera also posted this Time-lapse video.
work harder pic.twitter.com/v3SU5VBZDH
- Mad Engineer Sora (@duke_SORA) November 13, 2018
This is the first time that Longjiang-2 has captured the entire Moon and Earth in one shot.
Chinese space probe, Chang'e4, recently shared the world's first panoramic photos and videos of the far side of the Moon, following the successful landing of a robotic lander and rover there earlier this month.
"Many lunar orbiters have shown the Moon's two sides are very different: the near side has more and relatively flat lunar mares, while the far side is thickly dotted with impact craters of different sizes," the China National Space Administration (CNSA) explained at the time.
"Scientists infer that the lunar crust on the far side is much thicker than the near side. However, the reality is still a mystery, and only in-situ exploration might reveal the secrets."
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