This Is Real: NASA Camera – A Million Miles Away – Shows Moon Crossing Face of Earth

This animation options precise satellite tv for pc photos of the far facet of the moon, illuminated by the solar, because it crosses between the DSCOVR spacecraft’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Digicam (EPIC) and telescope, and the Earth – a million miles away. Credit score: NASA/NOAA

Though it seems pretend, this viral footage of the Moon orbiting Earth is definitely actual. It’s simply not new, regardless of making the rounds once more this week; it truly was captured over 6 years ago.

Again in 2015, a NASA digicam aboard the Deep House Local weather Observatory (DSCOVR) captured this distinctive collection of photos displaying the ‘darkish facet’ of the moon. The ‘darkish facet’ of the moon is usually used to seek advice from the hemisphere of the moon that's going through away from Earth. Nonetheless, it's extra correctly known as the ‘far facet’ as it's uncovered to an equal quantity of daylight because the facet going through Earth. We are able to by no means view the ‘far facet’ from Earth because of a phenomenon known as tidal locking, which happens when an astronomical physique takes the identical period of time to finish a full rotation round its axis and absolutely orbit round its companion.

Though DSCOVR’s major objective is to watch photo voltaic winds for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the satellite tv for pc additionally homes NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Digicam (EPIC) which captured these photos. This four-megapixel CCD digicam and telescope maintains a relentless view of Earth because it orbits and takes 13-22 photos daily.

With a purpose to seize Earth’s ‘pure colour’, NASA combines three completely different monochrome exposures taken 30 seconds aside. The ultimate mixed picture has a slight inexperienced offset to the correct of the moon and skinny blue and purple offsets to the left of it which is because of the Moon’s motion between every publicity.

In case you want to view extra photos taken by EPIC, NASA publishes every day colour photos of various views of the Earth because it rotates all through the day.