                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 January 24
   The Moon and the Earth are pictured before a black background. The Moon
    appears brown and slightly larger due to its closer proximity to the
     Artemis 1 camera. The Earth is seen as a cloudy blue orb above the
       Moon. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                         Earth and Moon from Beyond
          Image Credit: NASA, Artemis I; Processing: Andy Saunders

   Explanation: What do the Earth and Moon look like from beyond the Moon?
   Although frequently photographed together, the familiar duo was
   captured with this unusual perspective in late 2022 by the robotic
   Orion spacecraft of NASA's Artemis I mission as it looped around
   Earth's most massive satellite and looked back toward its home world.
   Since our Earth is about four times the diameter of the Moon, the
   satellite’s seemingly large size was caused by the capsule being closer
   to the smaller body. Artemis II, the next launch in NASA’s Artemis
   series, is currently scheduled to take people around the Moon in 2025,
   while Artemis III is planned to return humans to lunar surface in late
   2026. Last week, JAXA's robotic SLIM spacecraft, launched from Japan,
   landed on the Moon and released two hopping rovers.

                Explore Your Universe: Random APOD Generator
                         Tomorrow's picture: sky map
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

