Firefly Aerospace has released unique images taken by the Blue Ghost spacecraft in its final hours on the Moon. It photographed the sunset.
Blue Ghost landed on the Moon on March 2. During its operation, it successfully completed its science program, conducting many experiments, from drilling the lunar surface to searching for GPS signals. The spacecraft also successfully captured the solar eclipse observed on the Moon on March 14.
On March 16, the Sun began to set over Blue Ghost’s landing site, marking the end of its mission. The last task of the vehicle was to photograph the sunset. In addition to its symbolic meaning, it had a specific scientific value. NASA needed the images to find an answer to the question of whether lunar dust levitated by sunlight and created the lunar horizon glow which, according to the hypothesis, was observed by astronaut Eugene Cernan during the Apollo 17 mission.
The images taken by Blue Ghost clearly demonstrate what sunset looks like on the Moon. Because it has no atmosphere, the sun does not change its color, the sky remains as black as it is during the day, and the surface is instantly plunged into darkness as soon as the stars hide behind the horizon.
The capabilities of Blue Ghost’s camera were not enough to capture the stars in the lunar sky, but it did manage to capture Venus. In the images, it appeared as a bright star between the setting Sun and the sickle of the Earth.
After sunset, Blue Ghost operated for another 5 hours and continued to take images to determine the change in dust behavior after sunset. In its final transmission, Blue Ghost delivered a message saying goodbye to humans and Earth. The vehicle has no heaters, so it is highly unlikely that its electronics will be able to survive a cold night.
