Posted on by Elizabeth Howell

Stretch! Moon’s Divots And Darkness Collide In Pleasing Panorama

Nine shots of the Moon overlap in this view of the terminator taken Nov. 29, 2014. Credit: Roger Hutchinson

While space explorers often set their sights far out in the Solar System — or even beyond — we can’t forget the majesty of our next-door neighbor. The Moon, a mere three days’ flight away from Earth during the Apollo years, is an easy beacon in the darkness for anybody to observe. Even without a telescope.

Lately, several Universe Today readers have contributed awesome shots to our Flickr pool showing some close-ups of this barren world. Take the panorama above by Roger Hutchinson, for example, showing the view along the terminator (darkness-light line). And we’ve collected some more stunners below.

Copernicus, a huge crater near the Moon's equator, captured on Dec. 4, 2014. Credit: Ralph Smyth
Copernicus, a huge crater near the Moon’s equator, captured on Dec. 4, 2014. Credit: Ralph Smyth
Tycho, a crater that dominates the lunar southern highlands, on Dec. 2, 2014. Credit: John Brady
Tycho, a crater that dominates the lunar southern highlands, on Dec. 2, 2014. Credit: John Brady
The Mare Nubium region on the Moon, imaged Dec. 2, 2014. Credit: Paul M. Hutchinson
The Mare Nubium region on the Moon, imaged Dec. 2, 2014. Credit: Paul M. Hutchinson
The waxing gibbous moon captured on Dec. 3, 2014 from Wednesbury, West Midlands. Credit: II AsH II
The waxing gibbous moon captured on Dec. 3, 2014 from Wednesbury, West Midlands. Credit: II AsH II
Posted on by Elizabeth Howell

Lunar Love: Stunning Shots Abound In Phases Around The SuperMoon

The gibbous moon shines on Sept. 5, 2014. Credit: Christian Kamber

While the SuperMoon of earlier this week got a lot of attention — and rightly so, given the Moon was closest in its orbit to Earth when it was full — the waning and waxing phases around our celestial neighbor are also beautiful. Haunting, in fact.

These shots were taken by members of our Universe Today Flickr pool, with the moon either entering or exiting the full moon phase. Got some stunning astronomy shots to share? Feel free to add your contributions to the group (which says you will give us permission to publish) and we may include them in a future story.

The moon in its waning gibbous phase on Sept. 12, 2014. Photo taken with a Canon 700D attached to a Maksutov 127mm telescope. Credit: Sarah&Simon Fisher
The moon in its waning gibbous phase on Sept. 12, 2014. Photo taken with a Canon 700D attached to a Maksutov 127mm telescope. Credit: Sarah&Simon Fisher
The moon shines red in this photo taken from Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Sept. 11, 2014. Credit: David Blanchflower
The moon shines red in this photo taken from Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Sept. 11, 2014. Credit: David Blanchflower
The large craters Atlas (left) and Hercules (below) on the moon. Taken using a Canon 1100D. Credit: Paul M. Hutchinson
The large craters Atlas (left) and Hercules (below) on the moon. Taken using a Canon 1100D. Credit: Paul M. Hutchinson

EDIT: We just received a nice sequence of shots from Laura Austin: