NASA, renowned for capturing and sharing breathtaking images of our universe, continues to amaze space enthusiasts and the public alike. Their social media accounts are replete with educational videos and awe-inspiring images that offer glimpses into the wonders of Earth and space. In a recent post, NASA shared a unique moonrise photograph taken from the International Space Station (ISS).
Astronaut Matthew Dominick, who has been aboard the ISS for about four months, captured this image. It features a crescent-shaped moon above Earth’s atmosphere, which appears as an endless expanse of ocean-blue water. NASA’s description highlights the layers of orange and black beneath a horizontal blue band stretching across the image’s center, with the white crescent moon standing out against the blackness of space.
In his description, astronaut Dominick noted, “A sliver of a moon rises out of noctilucent clouds and appears to look towards the horizon awaiting the imminent sunrise.”
The post explained, “Experiments aboard the ISS serve as the basis for much of the science needed to sustain life on another world. ISS research is laying a foundation for the Artemis missions to the Moon.”
The image description from NASA read, “A crescent moon floats over the Earth’s atmosphere, which resembles ocean-blue water. Layers of orange and black appear underneath the horizontal band of blue stretching across the center of the image. The crescent moon is white and stands out against the blackness of space.”
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In February, NASA had previously shared another remarkable image featuring both the Moon and Earth in a single frame, also taken from the ISS. This image showed the Moon in a crescent phase, while Earth appeared blue with faint white clouds.
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The space agency explained that during the Moon’s waning crescent phase, most sunlight illuminates its far side, which is not visible from Earth. This phase precedes the new moon phase, when the Moon is completely obscured from Earth’s perspective.