NASA has released fresh pictures of the Moon, captured during the Artemis II mission. Two of these photographs reveal not only the familiar near side of the satellite but also a portion of its far side. Furthermore, one of the most extensive lunar craters, Mare Orientale, is entirely visible in one of the shots.
The image dated April 4th displays the Moon’s near side—the hemisphere that is perpetually facing our planet. This side is easily identifiable due to the darker patches on its surface: these are ancient lava flows formed during the Moon’s early period of volcanic activity. On this same visual, the bright crater Tycho stands out toward the lower edge of the disk, notable for the bright rays emanating outwards. Crater Tycho is considered relatively young for a lunar feature, with its age estimated at roughly 108 million years.
The second photograph, made public on April 6th, offers an unusual perspective: the right segment of this picture corresponds to the near side, recognizable by the dark plains of solidified lava. Critically, Mare Orientale is displayed in its entirety here, encompassing the section usually obscured from terrestrial view. Everything positioned to the left of the crater pertains to the far side of the Moon.
NASA reiterated that the lunar far side cannot be directly seen from Earth because the Moon’s rotational period around its axis matches its orbital period around our planet. Consequently, the same hemisphere is perpetually directed toward Earth.
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