South Korea’s first deep space mission, the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO)—or Danuri—reached the Moon’s orbit sometime in December. Upon its arrival, it sent back the first images revealing the dark side of the Moon… and Earth.
Usually, pictures sent back to Earth of our planet reveal a vibrant capture of our home in stunning blues, greens, and whites. In contrast to the usually vibrant imagery, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) unveiled some stunning and somber black-and-white photos.
Danuri took the shots on Christmas eve and once again on December 28. Our planet was captured from the perspective of the Moon with its craters in the foreground and Earth in all its glory off in the distance as a monochromatic mirage.
The orbiter took the first image 77 miles above the surface of the Moon and the second one at a distance of 213 miles. According to DIY Photography, the photos were snapped using a high-resolution camera (LUTI) fitted onto Danuri.
Danuri first made its way into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft carries four science instruments and a NASA camera to take pictures of the lunar surface as it scouts out future landing spots.