Moon and Earth photographed from 1.5 million kilometers away: Watch NASA's stunning video

The DSCOVR satellite captured a unique view of the Moon and Earth in March 2015. The series of images shows the fully lit “hidden side” of the satellite that can never be seen from Earth

A NASA camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite captured a unique view of the planet Luna As it moves in front of Earth's sunny side in March 2015. The series of images shows the fully lit “dark side” of the Moon. It is completely invisible from our planet.

Astronomy “school”: Take part in the Passione Astronomia courses suitable for everyone, click here

Unique site

From its position between the Sun and Earth, DSCOVR carries out its primary mission of observing the solar wind in real time in order to create NOAA's “natural-color” images of Earth. Combining three separate monochrome exposures captured by the camera in quick succession. EPIC captures a series of 10 images using several narrow-band spectral filters from ultraviolet to near infrared. Images of red, green and blue channels are used in these color images. Combining three images taken about 30 seconds apart, while the Moon was moving, produces a slight but noticeable camera “artifact” on the Moon's right side. Because the Moon moves relative to the Earth between the first (red) and last (green) exposure times, there is an incorrect alignment between the initial filter and the final filter. Below is the video:

The importance of DSCOVR

EPIC, the camera on board the DSCOVR satellite, allows scientists To monitor ozone and aerosol levels in the Earth's atmosphereCloud height, vegetation characteristics, and ground ultraviolet reflectivity. The DSCOVR mission is a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US Air Force.

sourceCover image source: NASA/NOAA