Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2025 June 28
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                Lunar Farside
      Image Credit: [3]NASA / [4]GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / [5]Lunar
                           Reconnaissance Orbiter

   Explanation: Tidally locked in [6]synchronous rotation, the [7]Moon
   always presents its familiar [8]nearside to [9]denizens of planet
   Earth. From lunar orbit, the Moon's farside can become familiar,
   though. In fact [10]this sharp picture, a mosaic from the Lunar
   Reconnaissance Orbiter's wide angle camera, is centered on the lunar
   farside. Part of a [11]global mosaic of over 15,000 images acquired
   between November 2009 and February 2011, the highest resolution version
   shows features at a scale of 100 meters per pixel. Surprisingly, the
   rough and battered surface of the farside looks very different from the
   nearside covered with smooth dark lunar maria. A likely explanation is
   that the [12]farside crust is thicker, making it harder for molten
   material from the interior to flow to the surface and form dark,
   [13]smooth maria.

                        Tomorrow's picture: dark sand
     __________________________________________________________________

      [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search |
   [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss |
                                    [24]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([28]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply.
            [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices;
                A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC,
                         [36]NASA Science Activation
                           & [37]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2506/farside_lro1600.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   5. https://lroc.sese.asu.edu/index.html
   6. http://geosteph-adventuresinearthandspace.blogspot.com/2008/02/other-side-of-moon-synchronous-rotation.html
   7. https://lroc.im-ldi.com/educators/history
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110303.html
   9. https://www.artchive.com/artwork/a-sunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte-georges-seurat-1884-1886/
  10. https://lroc.im-ldi.com/images/298
  11. https://data.lroc.im-ldi.com/lroc/view_rdr/WAC_GLOBAL
  12. https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-two-faced-moon
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080208.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250627.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  20. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250628
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250629.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  37. http://www.mtu.edu/