The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) – a four megapixel CCD camera aboard the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite – has captured a view of the Moon as it moved in front of the sunlit side of our planet.
The primary objective of DSCOVR, a partnership between NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is to maintain the nation’s real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities.
The satellite was launched in February 2015 and recently reached its planned orbit at the first Lagrange point, about one million miles from Earth toward the Sun.
NASA’s EPIC camera aboard the spacecraft maintains a constant view of the planet as it rotates, providing observations of ozone, vegetation, cloud height and aerosols in the atmosphere.
About twice a year the camera will capture the moon and Earth together as the orbit of DSCOVR crosses the orbital plane of Earth’s major satellite.
EPIC’s color images are generated by combining three separate monochrome exposures taken by the camera in quick succession. The camera takes a series of ten images using different narrowband spectral filters to produce a variety of science products. The red, green and blue channel images are used in these color images.
The far side of the Moon and Earth as seen on July 16, 2015 from a distance of one million miles by NASA’s EPIC camera. Image credit: NASA / NOAA.
EPIC’s first images of the far side of the Moon were captured on July 16, showing the Moon moving over the Pacific Ocean near North America. The North Pole is in the upper left corner, reflecting the orbital tilt of Earth from the vantage point of the spacecraft.
“It is surprising how much brighter Earth is than the Moon. Our planet is a truly brilliant object in dark space compared to the lunar surface,” said Dr Adam Szabo of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, a scientist for the DSCOVR project.
