Earth seen rising over the lunar surface , captured by the Japanese lunar orbiter Kaguya / SELENE #astronomy #astrophotography #moon #earth #EarthRise | Amazing SPACE

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spotted the site where ispace's RESILIENCE lander made its hard landing on June 5, 2025. Captured from about 50 miles above Mare Frigoris, the lunar landing site is a volcanic region crisscrossed by wrinkle ridges. More: https://go.nasa.gov/4emqmqW | Space 360

Early lunar orbiter missions revealed something unexpected. The Moon’s gravitational field is uneven, shaped by mass concentrations known as mascons. These anomalies were strong enough to perturb spacecraft trajectories, forcing NASA to reanalyze tracking data using the Deep Space Network. The results challenged assumptions about the Moon’s internal structure and hinted that its formation and evolution may be far more complex than originally believed. | The Randall Carlson