NASA launched the LRO spacecraft in June 2009.
US space agency NASA regularly shares stunning images of our universe, leaving space lovers mesmerised. The social media handle of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a treasure trove for those who love to watch educational videos and fascinating images showcasing Earth and space. Now, in its recent post, the space agency shared one of the most detailed pictures of the far side of the Moon. "It's the side of the Moon we never see from home: the far side," NASA wrote while sharing the picture on Instagram.
"Often incorrectly called the "dark side" of the Moon - incorrect because it receives equal amounts of sunlight as the near side does - the Moon's far side has stark characteristics. To start, it's more heavily cratered and has fewer maria, or large, dark, basaltic plains created by early volcanic eruptions. They're called maria because that's the Latin word for "seas." Early astronomers thought the dark areas were oceans," the space agency explained in the caption.
Take a look at the pic below:
According to NASA, the photo is a mosaic of thousands of different lunar farside images taken by the agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The image shows the round, grey disc of the Moon, pockmarked with craters of all sizes.
"The same side of the Moon always faces us because the Moon is tidally locked to our planet. That means the Moon's orbital period is the same duration as its spin around its axis. It takes a whole month on Earth for the Moon to turn once," NASA explained.
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The space agency shared the image just a few hours back and since then it has accumulated more than 1 million likes. "It's so cool how the far side has a lot of small craters compared to the sunned side," commented one user. "So amazing how round it honestly is it's fascinating it could be any shape," expressed another.
Notably, NASA launched the LRO spacecraft in June 2009. LRO is about the size of a Mini Cooper car, and it is equipped with seven instruments to observe the Moon. The spacecraft circles the moon in a polar orbit, at an altitude of about 50 kilometers. LRO created a 3D map of the Moon, as part of a program to identify future landing sites and resources - including deposits of water ice shadowed in polar craters. LRO continues to orbit the Moon.