A majority of the people here in the planet are familiar with photos of the moon that present astronauts working on the lunar surface. But recently, photos from Japan's Kaguya spacecraft were released that show the earth rising from a distance which resembles those of science fiction.
Nearly a decade ago, Japan launched a spacecraft which was named as Kaguya. This spacecraft spent two years orbiting the moon which even included passes from as near as 100 km.
Kaguya was also carrying two 2.2 megapixel CCD HDTV color cameras that also contained one wide-angle and one telephoto. These tools delivered the first ever high-definition video and photos of the moon back to the planet. Perhaps no spacecraft has better captured perfect photos of the moon except this spacecraft.
And just the past days, JAXA, Japanese space agency, released some of these photos for the public to witness how the moon really looks like. According to the Planetary Society, the said agency has released a total of 450 images taken by Kaguya. The images feature how the Earth rises from a distance over the moon and a dynamic touch to the lunar surface. It's the first time the public have been witnesses to such magnificent images of the moon.
The photos evidently show how the Earth rises and sets, then shines like a crescent against the blackness of space. These images, when looked at, could give an eerie feeling but somehow magnificent. Below is a video, which was also taken by Kaguya.
Japan launched the spacecraft Kaguya for the purpose of helping scientists find out the way the moon formed and gather resources to be used for future missions and studies.
Moreover, as also reported on National Geographic, data from Kaguya also show a possible risk for future lunar visitors which is a strong electric field forms close to the surface of the moon.
The newly released photos would clearly indicate that this mission of Japan's Kaguya brings a powerful impact on the manner the people understand the moon, the only natural satellite the Earth has.
