- Original Caption Released with Image:
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On December 16, 1992, 8 days after its encounter with Earth, the Galileo
spacecraft looked back from a distance of about 6.2 million kilometers
(3.9 million miles) to capture this remarkable view of the Moon in orbit about
Earth. The composite photograph was constructed from images taken through
visible (violet, red) and near-infrared (1.0-micron) filters. The Moon is in the
foreground; its orbital path is from left to right. Brightly colored Earth contrasts
strongly with the Moon, which reacts only about one-third as much sunlight as
our world. To improve the visibility of both bodies, contrast and color have been
computer enhanced. At the bottom of Earth's disk, Antarctica is visible through
clouds. The Moon's far side can also be seen. The shadowy indentation in the
Moon's dawn terminator--the boundary between its dark and lit sides--is the South
Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest and oldest lunar impact features. This feature
was studied extensively by Galileo during the first Earth flyby in December 1990.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL
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