Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Exaggerated Moon

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for July 24, 2024 is “Exaggerated Moon,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Data: NASA , Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter ; Image & Processing: Ildar Ibatullin. The original explanation runs about 183 words.

Earth's Moon is shown with the heights of surface features all greatly exaggerated. Also, the colors of the Moon have been exaggerated so areas of blue and red are more easily seen. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Data: NASA , Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter ; Image & Processing: Ildar Ibatullin Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Our Moon doesn’t really have craters this big. Earth’s Moon , Luna, also doesn’t naturally show this spikey texture, and its colors are more subtle.”

— APOD editors, July 24, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
July 24, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Data: NASA , Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter ; Image & Processing: Ildar Ibatullin
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 183 words

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Topics in this entry

The Moon

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: July 24 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.