What's going on in this snapshot from the ISS?

  • Thread starter Zarhult
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In summary: I don't know for sure. Thanks for looking into it! I did, indeed, take the screen shot myself. I saw the strange gray section on the Earth as it rotated, as if it was actually a part of the planet. Perhaps it was... but I don't know for sure. Thanks for looking into it!
  • #36
fizzy said:
Wow , all those alien landing strips on the back of the moon. I wonder why they are not parallel to the lunar equator. Maybe if we project them back we can work out what star system they come from ! ARF !

Seriously, do we have any higher-res of the dark-side? 4Mpixels from a million miles away does not even cut it for holiday snaps.
It would be interesting to see whether that black spot is a major crater and to get a better look at the 'skid-marks'. There's a strong central line on that image that lies on a great circle and runs trough a crater. If that is impact debris it's curious that it makes such a straight line. It would be good to get a better look.

Anyone know a better images? Have they not released Apollo stuff of dark side yet?
http://nasasearch.nasa.gov/search?u...Lunar+high+rez+images+dark+side&commit=Search
Looks like a good bet but you will need to go through a few pics.
 
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  • #37
fizzy said:
Anyone know a better images? Have they not released Apollo stuff of dark side yet?

You can find pre-apollo images here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/

Here's an archive of images from the Lunar Reconnaiscance Orbiter: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/LROMoonImages_archive_1.html
The images are detailed enough to see features at several Apollo landing sites, including the Apollo descent stages, various equipment, and tracks in the regolith left by the astronauts (Apollo 15 site here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/L...lroc-20100413-apollo15-LRRR.html#.VrhUP1grKUk)

fizzy said:
It would be interesting to see whether that black spot is a major crater and to get a better look at the 'skid-marks'.

What 'skid-marks'?
 
  • #38
Drakkith said:
Looks like an image artifact. I can see plenty of them in your animation. Spacecraft imaging sensors typically have very large amounts of noise and artifacts since they don't sit within the protection of the Earth's atmosphere.

I think the dark spot is real, the size change may be lighting or exposure. The grey scale does not look very consistent, neither does the focal plane. One frame is more focussed on the spot , the other is more focussed on the central region.
 
  • #39
Drakkith said:
Here's an archive of images from the Lunar Reconnaiscance Orbiter: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/LROMoonImages_archive_1.html
The images are detailed enough to see features at several Apollo landing sites, including the Apollo descent stages, various equipment, and tracks in the regolith left by the astronauts (Apollo 15 site here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/L...lroc-20100413-apollo15-LRRR.html#.VrhUP1grKUk)
The LRO imaging is very impressive, Also if you switch Google Earth to moon view it give a pretty good view, although some of it isn't very high resolution.
 
  • #40
Drakkith said:
You can find pre-apollo images here: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/

Here's an archive of images from the Lunar Reconnaiscance Orbiter: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/LROMoonImages_archive_1.html
The images are detailed enough to see features at several Apollo landing sites, including the Apollo descent stages, various equipment, and tracks in the regolith left by the astronauts (Apollo 15 site here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/L...lroc-20100413-apollo15-LRRR.html#.VrhUP1grKUk)
What 'skid-marks'?

Thanks, here is a comparable shot of far side. The dark spot seems to be a crater. so size change likely to be change in shadow.
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/528087main_031110a.jpg

There are definite lines on the DISCVR images that cover most of the visible surface. Oddly they are a lot less evident on the high res image.

BTW the lighting is not consistent on the left and right sides of that image, are these composites?

Ah yes:
"105-km swath in monochrome mode"
"Each month, the WAC provides nearly complete coverage of the Moon under unique lighting."
 
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  • #41
fizzy said:
I think the dark spot is real, the

Nobody suggested otherwise ... pretty sure when Drakkith referred to artifact, he would have been referring to it's changing shape/size

fizzy said:
Thanks, here is a comparable shot of far side. The dark spot seems to be a crater. so size change likely to be change in shadow

or more correctly a Mare ( sea) ... a lava filled basinDave
 
  • #42
I said : "what's that black spot getting bigger on the dark side of the moon, that's going cause some fun. "
Drakkith said : "Looks like an image artifact. I can see plenty of them in your animation."
I said : "The dark spot seems to be a crater. so size change likely to be change in shadow."

so it's not an artefact.

"or more correctly a Mare ( sea) ... a lava filled basin"

Oh, right. A sort of round , crater shaped basin. Presumably the alien lava managers decided it looked a bit too empty and decided to fill it up in case anyone noticed it looked a bit like an impact event that ruptured the surface causing lava to flow out. They were noted as having said there were too many such events and exclaimed " j'en ai mare !" Hence the name.
 
  • #43
fizzy said:
so it's not an artefact.

Not the large dark spot, no. I was referring to the change in size/shape. Sorry for the confusion.

fizzy said:
Oh, right. A sort of round , crater shaped basin. Presumably the alien lava managers decided it looked a bit too empty and decided to fill it up in case anyone noticed it looked a bit like an impact event that ruptured the surface causing lava to flow out. They were noted as having said there were too many such events and exclaimed " j'en ai mare !" Hence the name.

Not sure what this is about. Mare Moscoviense is indeed a lava-filled impact crater. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_Moscoviense
 
  • #44
3rd try: I said: "The dark spot seems to be a crater. so size change likely to be change in shadow"

From the positions in the two frame animation, the reduction in size ( see Earth pos. for which is first chronologically ) seems consistent with the size of the shadow reducing as it comes nearer to facing the sun. ie change in size of shadow not an artefact.
 
  • #45
fizzy said:
3rd try: I said: "The dark spot seems to be a crater. so size change likely to be change in shadow"

From the positions in the two frame animation, the reduction in size ( see Earth pos. for which is first chronologically ) seems consistent with the size of the shadow reducing as it comes nearer to facing the sun. ie change in size of shadow not an artefact.

That seems unlikely to me. The moon only rotates a little over 2.5 degrees in 5 hours. I don't think the shadows would change that much over such a small change in orientation. Honestly it just looks like image artifacts. The animation is rife with them.
 
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  • #46
Drakkith said:
That seems unlikely to me. The moon only rotates a little over 2.5 degrees in 5 hours. I don't think the shadows would change that much over such a small change in orientation. Honestly it just looks like image artifacts. The animation is rife with them.

Completely agree :smile:
 
<h2>1. What is the International Space Station (ISS)?</h2><p>The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite that orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. It is a joint project between five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.</p><h2>2. What is the purpose of the ISS?</h2><p>The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory. It allows astronauts and scientists to conduct experiments in various fields such as biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. It also serves as a platform for testing new technologies and conducting spacewalks.</p><h2>3. Who is currently on board the ISS?</h2><p>As of October 2021, the crew on board the ISS consists of seven astronauts: four from NASA, two from Roscosmos, and one from ESA. The current crew is part of Expedition 65 and is expected to stay on the ISS for approximately six months.</p><h2>4. What is happening in the snapshot from the ISS?</h2><p>Without additional context, it is difficult to determine what is happening in a specific snapshot from the ISS. However, it could be a photo of astronauts conducting experiments, performing maintenance tasks, or simply admiring the view of Earth from space.</p><h2>5. How can I learn more about the ISS and its activities?</h2><p>There are several ways to learn more about the ISS and its activities. You can visit the official websites of the participating space agencies, follow their social media accounts, or watch documentaries and videos about the ISS. You can also track the ISS's real-time location and view live footage from the ISS cameras on various websites and apps.</p>

1. What is the International Space Station (ISS)?

The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite that orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. It is a joint project between five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.

2. What is the purpose of the ISS?

The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory. It allows astronauts and scientists to conduct experiments in various fields such as biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. It also serves as a platform for testing new technologies and conducting spacewalks.

3. Who is currently on board the ISS?

As of October 2021, the crew on board the ISS consists of seven astronauts: four from NASA, two from Roscosmos, and one from ESA. The current crew is part of Expedition 65 and is expected to stay on the ISS for approximately six months.

4. What is happening in the snapshot from the ISS?

Without additional context, it is difficult to determine what is happening in a specific snapshot from the ISS. However, it could be a photo of astronauts conducting experiments, performing maintenance tasks, or simply admiring the view of Earth from space.

5. How can I learn more about the ISS and its activities?

There are several ways to learn more about the ISS and its activities. You can visit the official websites of the participating space agencies, follow their social media accounts, or watch documentaries and videos about the ISS. You can also track the ISS's real-time location and view live footage from the ISS cameras on various websites and apps.

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