Moon Viewed by NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft
Central Highlands of the Moon in a Single Frame
The Moon’s surface was photographed by NASA’s Lucy mission on October 16, 2022, about 6.5 hours after it passed by the Earth for the first of three gravity assistance. The picture displays a viewpoint that is recognizable to observers on Earth because it was obtained when Lucy was around 160,000 miles (260,000 km) from the Moon when it was captured. The picture shows a region of the final quarter moon that is 800 miles (1200 km) wide.
There are other well-known craters visible, notably the recently formed crater Arzachel to the left of the center. To the lower left of the center, the Straight Wall, a significant fault scarp, can be seen cutting through the lava plains.
The image has been sharpened after being created by blending 10 different 2-millisecond exposures of the same scene. Approximately 0.8 miles are represented by each pixel (1.3 km).
Lucy’s high-resolution greyscale imager, L’LORRI (Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager), was used to capture this picture. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory supplied and ran L’LORRI.
Terminator Mosaic
The Moon’s surface was mosaiced by NASA’s Lucy spacecraft on October 16, 2022, between 7.5 and 8 hours after it passed by the Earth for the first of three gravity assistance. The flyby brought the spacecraft within 224 miles (360 km) of Earth during its closest approach, passing below the height of the international space station. When these pictures were obtained, Lucy was averaging around 140,000 miles (230,000 km) away from the Moon.
The mosaic was created when Lucy was passing in front of the Moon, therefore it displays a view that is familiar to spectators on Earth and is centered around the terminator of the final quarter moon. The picture shows the ancient, lava-filled impact basin Mare Imbrium near the top and the rough extensively cratered Southern Highlands near the bottom of the mosaic. Near the mosaic’s left edge, the brilliant, new crater of Copernicus stands out.
This sharpened mosaic was created from five different 1-millisecond exposures. There is a slight mismatch in the photographs near the uppermost part of the moon’s edge since the image covering that area was obtained earlier. Approximately 0.7 miles are represented by each pixel (1.2 km).
Lucy’s high-resolution greyscale imager, L’LORRI (Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager), was used to capture this mosaic. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory supplied and ran L’LORRI.
Single Mare Imbrium Frame
On October 16, 2022, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft took this picture of the Moon’s surface, about eight hours after it made its first of three gravity assistance by flying by the Earth. Given that Lucy was in this position when the photo was taken, spectators on Earth will be able to recognize the viewpoint.
The image depicts a lunar landscape that is about 600 miles (1000 km) broad and is dominated by the long-gone, lava-filled impact basin known as Mare Imbrium. The lower-right corner of the picture is dominated by the Apennine Mountains, which are a component of the Imbrium basin rim and served as the landing location for the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. When the photo was taken, Lucy was around 140,000 miles (230,000 km) away from the Moon.
The image, which was sharpened, was created with a single exposure of 1 millisecond. Approximately 0.7 miles are represented by each pixel (1.1 km).
Lucy’s high-resolution greyscale imager, L’LORRI (Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager), was used to capture this picture. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory supplied and ran L’LORRI.
The image, which was sharpened, was created with a single exposure of 1 millisecond. Approximately 0.7 miles are represented by each pixel (1.1 km).
Lucy’s high-resolution greyscale imager, L’LORRI (Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager), was used to capture this picture. Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory supplied and ran L’LORRI.
