Sunday, August 9

The Backside of the Moon

We now have another perspective of our home planet, and this time it includes the backside of the moon, which we never get to view here on Earth.  Our planet is certainly a bright, shiny object compared to its moon.  The new view comes from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) placed between the Earth and sun to provide warning about incoming solar storms, thereby giving government agencies and the private sector time to prepare. 

DSCOVR was launched last February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Now located 1 million miles from Earth at a point where the Earth and Sun's gravity cancel one another out (called L1), it operates as a partnership between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, and the U.S. Air Force. 

Go here for more information on the DSCOVR mission and you can also learn more about the mission via this video.

Image Credits:  NOAA