Dark side of the moon looms into view during stunning time-lapse
The Earth and the Moon, seen from a distance of 1.6 million kilometres. (NASA/NOAA)
A distant climate observation satellite has captured the Moon’s transit of the Earth, revealing the ‘dark’ side of the moon in magnificent detail.
The images, captured on July 16, were taken from a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometres and recorded over a period of about five hours by the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).
The time-lapse recorded the rarely seen ‘dark’ side of the Moon – the hemisphere that is never visible on Earth.
The far side of the Moon has fewer distinguishing features, lacking the prominent dark basaltic plains that feature clearly on the Earth-facing side.
The DSCOVR satellite is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Air Force, and is designed to take measurements of the solar wind as well as make regular observations of Earth’s climate.
The dark side of the Moon was first seen in 1959 in images taken by the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft.
Regular observations of the Earth using NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) will begin next month, and will be posted online for all to see.
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