Two astrophotographers have now released what they term the "most insanely detailed picture" of the Moon to date, which includes more than 200,000 photographs.
After a two-year effort to capture the Moon in previously unseen detail, a stunning single image made up of more than 200,000 separate Moon photographs has been made public.
The photograph was taken by planetary scientist Connor Matherne and astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, who calls it "the most insanely detailed picture" of the Moon ever.
The 174-megapixel image, which was created from more than 200,000 separate photos, shows the Moon's true colours, which are typically hidden from Earth's view. On one side of the Moon's surface, it has a reddish tint, and on the other, it has a gunmetal blue tone.
The red colour is caused by stray oxygen atoms from the Earth oxidising iron and feldspar. Even if the Moon does not look as it does in other photographs, the colours in the image above are closer to the Moon's genuine colours. Matherne enhanced the saturation of the image to accentuate the red and blue that are now visible to us because our eyes aren't sensitive enough to see the colours.
McCarthy described how the image was "built
like a mosaic," with each tile being made up of hundreds of photos taken
over the course of two years, in an interview with NPR.
McCarthy said on Twitter that the two astronomers were inspired by NASA's commitment to getting people back on the Moon, particularly the upcoming Artemis 1 mission, in his explanation of the image's source.
McCarthy claims that this magnificent photograph of the Moon is a "love letter" to the Artemis 1 mission, which is not scheduled to launch until August 29.
In relation to the Artemis 1 mission, NASA recently moved its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to its launch pad at the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the 322-foot-tall rocket will undergo its last checks before departing on a lunar reconnaissance mission.
As part of the plan, the rocket and NASA's Orion
capsule will orbit the Moon, gathering important data about the journey that
will be used to enhance the safety of human astronauts scheduled to embark on
the same mission (Artemis 2) in 2024.
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