These stunning images were taken on the night of January 19-20 by astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy. He managed to capture the flight of the International Space Station against the background of the Moon.
During the shooting, our moon was in the full moon phase. Therefore, we can see all the main sights of the visible side of the Moon, including the numerous craters and seas covering its surface. The last are lowlands filled with solid lava. They were formed during the colossal volcanic eruptions that took place on the Moon billions of years ago.
McCarthy managed to “catch” the ISS at the moment when it was over the Mare Tranquillitatis. This region gained worldwide fame half a century ago. On July 20, 1969, the lunar module of the Apollo 11 expedition with astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin landed on the territory of the Mare Tranquillitatis. They became the first people in history to leave their footprints on the surface of another celestial body.
For obvious reasons, it is impossible to photograph the tracks of astronauts from Earth. According to Andrew McCarthy, in his picture, the silhouette of the ISS covers a section of the lunar surface with a length of over 110 km. Nevertheless, one curious detail related to the mission can still be seen in the photo. If you try, then to the left of the ISS you can see a small dot corresponding to a 3.4-kilometer impact crater. After the Apollo 11 expedition, it was named after Edwin Aldrin.
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