The DSCOVR satellite captured a unique view of the Moon and Earth in March 2015. The series of images shows the fully illuminated “hidden side” of our Satellite that is never visible from Earth
A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the moon as it moved in front of Earth’s sunny side in March 2015. The series of images shows the fully illuminated “dark side” of the Moon it is never visible from our Planet.
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A unique location
From its position between the Sun and Earth, DSCOVR carries out its primary mission of monitoring the solar wind in real time for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). EPIC’s “natural color” Earth images are generated combining three separate monochrome exposures taken by the camera in rapid succession. EPIC takes a series of 10 images using several narrow-band spectral filters from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Red, green, and blue channel images are used in these color images. The combination of three images taken about 30 seconds apart, while the Moon was moving, produces a slight but noticeable camera “artifact” on the right side of the Moon. Since the moon has moved relative to the Earth between the time the first (red) and last (green) exposures were made, there is a misalignment between the initial filter and the final filter. Below is the video:
The importance of DSCOVR
EPIC, the camera on board the DSCOVR satellite, allows scientists to monitor ozone and aerosol levels in the Earth’s atmosphere, cloud height, vegetation properties, and the Earth’s ultraviolet reflectivity. The DSCOVR mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the US Air Force.
Sourcecover image credit NASA / NOAA
