Moon and Earth from Chang'e 5-T1
Image Credit:
Chinese National Space Administration,
Xinhuanet
Described at times as a big
blue marble,
from some vantage points Earth looks more like a small blue marble.
Such was the case in this
iconic image of the
Earth and Moon system taken by the
Chang'e 5-T1 mission last week.
The Moon appears larger than the Earth because it was much closer to the spacecraft's camera.
Displaying much of a surface
usually hidden from
Earth, the Moon appears dark and gray when compared to the more reflective and
colorful planet that it orbits.
The robotic
Chang'e 5-T1 spacecraft,
predominantly on an
engineering test mission,
rounded the Moon last Tuesday
returned to Earth on Friday.