Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2025 June 28 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Lunar Farside Image Credit: [3]NASA / [4]GSFC / Arizona State Univ. / [5]Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Explanation: Tidally locked in [6]synchronous rotation, the [7]Moon always presents its familiar [8]nearside to [9]denizens of planet Earth. From lunar orbit, the Moon's farside can become familiar, though. In fact [10]this sharp picture, a mosaic from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's wide angle camera, is centered on the lunar farside. Part of a [11]global mosaic of over 15,000 images acquired between November 2009 and February 2011, the highest resolution version shows features at a scale of 100 meters per pixel. Surprisingly, the rough and battered surface of the farside looks very different from the nearside covered with smooth dark lunar maria. A likely explanation is that the [12]farside crust is thicker, making it harder for molten material from the interior to flow to the surface and form dark, [13]smooth maria. Tomorrow's picture: dark sand __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy, [31]Accessibility, [32]Notices; A service of: [33]ASD at [34]NASA / [35]GSFC, [36]NASA Science Activation & [37]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2506/farside_lro1600.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 5. https://lroc.sese.asu.edu/index.html 6. http://geosteph-adventuresinearthandspace.blogspot.com/2008/02/other-side-of-moon-synchronous-rotation.html 7. https://lroc.im-ldi.com/educators/history 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110303.html 9. https://www.artchive.com/artwork/a-sunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte-georges-seurat-1884-1886/ 10. https://lroc.im-ldi.com/images/298 11. https://data.lroc.im-ldi.com/lroc/view_rdr/WAC_GLOBAL 12. https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-two-faced-moon 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080208.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250627.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.com/feed.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250628 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250629.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 33. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/ 35. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 36. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 37. http://www.mtu.edu/