The top photo was taken from Artemis 2 as it was swinging around the far side of the moon. The lower image was taken from my driveway in 2020 through a telescope and and barely captures features that are easily seen from space.
Grimaldi is always visible from earth when it is sunlit, but Mare Orientale is seldom visible unless the moon is in exactly the right place in its orbit. Mare Pacificus, which looks like black lipstick mark from a kiss, is almost never seen from earth. I was very lucky to capture it in the image.
So, the far side of the moon begins somewhere between Grimaldi and Mare Orientale, and, as can be seen in the top photo, it was only partly illuminated as the astronauts flew around the moon. Still what a sight to behold and what a strange feeling it must have been to see the tiny earth (not visible in this image) from their viewpoint which was farther from earth than humans had ever ventured before.
#moon #farsideofthemoon #perspective #artemis 2
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 