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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,
SVS;
Processing & Copyright:
Jai &
Neil Shet
Explanation:
What's different about this Moon?
It's the terminators.
In the featured image, you can't directly see any
terminator --
the line that divides the light of day from the dark of night.
That's because the image is a digital composite of 29 near-terminator lunar strips.
Terminator regions show the longest and most
prominent
shadows -- shadows which, by their contrast and length, allow a flat photograph
to appear three-dimensional.
The original images
and data were taken near the
Moon
by NASA's
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Many of the Moon's
craters
stand out because of the
shadows they all cast to the right.
The image shows in graphic detail that the
darker regions known as maria are not just darker than the rest of the
Moon -- they are flatter.
Dial-A-Moon:
Find the phase of the Moon on your birthday.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Moon
Publications with words: Moon
See also: