Taken from one million miles away, the DSCOVR spacecraft’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or better known as EPIC, which is the perfect acronym for this camera, captures the moon as it crosses Earth. These images, which were taken between 3:50 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. EDT on July 16, captures such an epic event. However, it also catches the far side of the moon which is the hemisphere of the moon that always faces away from Earth. It’s a side that’s rarely seen.
Obviously, this isn’t the first time this has happened, and it won’t be the last. With growing technology the images will not only be sharper and clearer; but we will soon be able to receive these images in real time. NASA says that this camera should go fully functional this month so it will have the ability to catch this event twice a year. So if you missed it, you can check out the sequence of the Moon photobombing Earth here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqJRbegsif4
In a related Inquisitr article, this incredible satellite will be capturing data on solar winds in real time , which will help NASA and National Oceanic and Administration forecast weather in space. This is a remarkable breakthrough in our time, and as such a great promise of wonderful discoveries for the near future.
According to Washington Post, DSCOVR arrived at its final orbiting place just recently after it was launched in Feburary, and for the first time in history, gave us a view of the far side of the moon. Although the moon is orbiting earth, its position is “tidally locked,” which means we only get to see the same side of the moon night in and night out. Thanks to DSCOVR, the inhabitants of the earth get to have an awesome experience of the world around them.
It is interesting to note that even DSCOVR project scientist Adam Szabo was stunned by the whole event and expressed his thoughts.
“It is surprising how much brighter Earth is than the moon. Our planet is a truly brilliant object in dark space compared to the lunar surface.”
According to NASA , “Because the moon has moved in relation to the Earth between the time the first (red) and last (green) exposures were made, a thin green offset appears on the right side of the moon when the three exposures are combined. This natural lunar movement also produces a slight red and blue offset on the left side of the moon in these unaltered images.”
Isn’t it beautiful what the future holds for us? What do you think of DSCOVR?
[Image Courtesy Robinson Meyer NASA ]
