A Korean probe near the moon has sent its first pictures of Earth. The series images from Danuri feature the earth and moon in stunning black and white, via earthsky.org
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has released a set of black-and-white images of the Earth and moon that rival the work of legendary nature photographer Ansel Adams. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter – also known as KPLO or Danuri (moon enjoy) – captured the soon-to-be-iconic pictures during an approach to the moon, and later as it orbited 100 km (62 miles) above the lunar surface.
South Korea launched Danuri on August 5, 2022, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster. The probe entered lunar orbit on December 26, 2022. This month (January 2023), it’s due to begin studying the moon for a mission that should last at least a year.
According to KARI’s highly-detailed mission summary, the probe’s set of six instruments and cameras will study the makeup of the moon, as well as provide high-definition imagery of permanently shadowed areas near the moon’s poles.
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