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Astronomy Picture of the Day

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.

The picture shows Neil Armstrong on the Moon in 1969 taking a picture of Aldrin -- created from the reflection of Armstrong in Aldrin's visor. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Unwrapped: Five Decade Old Lunar Selfie

Explanation: Here is one of the most famous pictures from the Moon -- but digitally reversed. Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969 and soon thereafter many pictures were taken, including an iconic picture of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong . The original image captured not only the magnificent desolation of an unfamiliar world , but Armstrong himself reflected in Aldrin's curved visor. Enter modern digital technology. In the featured image , the spherical distortion from Aldrin's helmet has been reversed. The result is the famous picture -- but now featuring Armstrong himself from Aldrin's perspective . Even so, since Armstrong took the picture , the image is effectively a five-decade old lunar selfie. The original visor reflection is shown on the left, while Earth hangs in the lunar sky on the upper right. A foil-wrapped leg of the Eagle lander is prominently visible. Preparations to return humans to the Moon in the next few years include the Artemis program , an international collaboration led by NASA.

Date September 27, 2021
Credit Image Credit: NASA , Apollo 11 , Neil Armstrong ; Processing: Michael Ranger
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.