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.

                                2024 July 24
      [2]Earth's Moon is shown with the heights of surface features all
   greatly exaggerated. Also, the colors of the Moon have been exaggerated
        so areas of blue and red are more easily seen. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                              Exaggerated Moon
      Credit: Data: [3]NASA, [4]Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter; Image &
                       Processing: [5]Ildar Ibatullin

   Explanation: Our Moon doesn't really have craters this big. [6]Earth's
   Moon, Luna, also doesn't naturally show this spikey texture, and its
   colors are more subtle. But this digital creation is based on reality.
   The [7]featured image is a digital composite of a good Moon image and
   surface height data taken from NASA's [8]Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter
   (LOLA) mission -- and then exaggerated for [9]educational
   understanding. The digital enhancements, for example, accentuate
   [10]lunar highlands and show more clearly craters that illustrate the
   [11]tremendous bombardment our Moon has been through during its
   [12]4.6-billion-year history. The [13]dark areas, called [14]maria,
   have fewer [15]craters and were once seas of [16]molten lava.
   Additionally, the image [17]colors, although based on the moon's real
   composition, are changed and exaggerated. Here, a blue hue indicates a
   region that is [18]iron rich, while orange indicates a slight excess of
   [19]aluminum. Although the [20]Moon has shown the same side to the
   Earth for billions of years, [21]modern technology is allowing humanity
   to learn [22]much more about it -- and how it [23]affects the Earth.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply.
            [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices;
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2407/ExaggeratedMoon_Ibatulin_2610.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/lola/
   5. https://www.instagram.com/_ibatullin_ildar_/
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/
   7. https://www.instagram.com/p/C9VolwSsvhk/
   8. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/lola/
   9. https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/fc529a49-3f59-4502-a7c3-5ac4c3c5a032/d5q4hbz-5b803f71-04b3-47a3-a27c-8f49425d3d8c.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2ZjNTI5YTQ5LTNmNTktNDUwMi1hN2MzLTVhYzRjM2M1YTAzMlwvZDVxNGhiei01YjgwM2Y3MS0wNGIzLTQ3YTMtYTI3Yy04ZjQ5NDI1ZDNkOGMuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zOT8uNXcb5eNG6mmR7iiEuPGjUE8u35YDhheTEmE8lM
  10. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/education/hsResearch/presentations/2017-2018/Henry-M-Jackson-Moon-a.pdf
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Heavy_Bombardment
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/composition/#otp_lunar_origins
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_mare#/media/File:Moon_names.svg
  14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_mare
  15. https://youtu.be/HTukFx17Ryg
  16. https://youtu.be/wiRdr5LzbwY
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210831.html
  18. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/a-story-of-iron-in-ancient-sediments/
  19. https://youtu.be/ZVkpQKRgHvU
  20. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-the-moon/en/
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140113.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190717.html
  23. https://www.iop.org/explore-physics/moon/how-does-moon-affect-earth
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240723.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240724
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240725.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/