The crew of Artemis II is on their way back after witnessing a groundbreaking view of the moon. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch achieved a historic milestone by venturing farther from Earth than any previous human expedition during the Artemis II mission.
While satellites have captured images of the moon’s far side since 1959, when Luna 3 sent back the initial pictures, Artemis II marked the first occasion humans directly observed certain far-side areas with their own eyes. Kelsey Young, NASA’s Artemis II lunar science lead, expressed anticipation for humans to witness and describe lunar features firsthand.
The crew spent five hours making observations using cameras and their unaided eyes, providing detailed descriptions of what they saw. Of particular interest was the Orientale basin, a region spanning the moon’s near and far sides, believed to have formed 3.8 billion years ago. Hansen highlighted color variations extending towards Hertzsprung, a vast crater on the moon’s far side.
Although it may seem unusual, the moon does possess color, which can be discerned by adjusting saturation in photographs. The diverse hues result from different minerals on the lunar surface. However, the human eye is more sensitive than a camera and does not require heightened saturation to perceive these colors accurately.
Ralph Chou, professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo’s school of optometry and former president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, explained that the human visual system excels at discerning subtle differences in color and brightness compared to electronic systems. Humans also benefit from real-time, 3D observations of lunar features.
During the lunar flyby, one intriguing observation was meteoroids impacting the moon’s surface. Unlike on Earth, where most meteors burn up in the atmosphere, the moon’s lack of atmosphere allows meteoroids to reach the surface, contributing to its heavily cratered appearance. The astronauts reported witnessing impact flashes caused by meteoroids striking the moon.
Peter Brown, Canada Research Chair in Meteor Astronomy at Western University, emphasized the advantage of human observers in capturing transient events like impact flashes that cameras might overlook due to fast shutter speeds. While cameras are valuable for studying surface features, combining them with visual observations enhances our understanding of the moon.
Overall, the crew’s descriptions of their observations during the flyby provided invaluable insights into the moon’s features. Higher resolution images are now being analyzed to further enhance the scientific knowledge gained from this mission.