2025年7月20日
Lunar Nearside
Image Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Explanation: About 1,300 images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft’s wide angle camera were used to compose this spectacular view of a familiar face – the lunar nearside. But why is there a lunar nearside? The Moon rotates on its axis and orbits the Earth at the same rate, about once every 28 days. Tidally locked in this configuration, the synchronous rotation always keeps one side, the nearside, facing Earth. As a result, featured in remarkable detail in the full resolution mosaic, the smooth, dark, lunar maria (actually lava-flooded impact basins), and rugged highlands, are well-known to earthbound skygazers. To find your favorite mare or large crater, just follow this link or slide your cursor over the picture. The LRO images used to construct the mosaic were recorded over a two week period in December 2010.
Tomorrow’s picture: cat’s webb
月球的正面
影像提供: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
说明: 这幅呈现我们很熟稔的月球正面之壮丽影像，组合自1300帧左右的月球探勘号广角相机照片。不过，为何会有月球正面这种说法呢？这是因为月球绕轴自转和它绕地球公转的速率相同，大约都是28天。所以受到地球潮汐锁定进行同步自转的月亮，看似皆以名为正面的同一侧向着地球。也因此，于这幅无比清晰的全解析主题影像里，平滑暗色的月海（其实是注满岩浆的撞击盆地）及崎岖的高原区，都是地球观星者很熟悉的月面景观。请点击这个链接或把鼠标移到上面影像上，就能找到你最钟爱的月海或大撞击坑。用以建构这幅镶嵌影像的月球勘测轨道飞行器数据，取得于2010年12月的2星期多期间。
明日的图片：cat’s webb
