Topic links

Curated references for understanding Earth from the Moon, lunar observation, and the standards and data behind the concept.

References

External sources we draw on when thinking about a fixed camera on the Moon. They sort into three foundations: how Earth actually looks from the Moon (LROC, Apollo, the agencies), the positional data that pins Earth in the lunar sky (JPL's ephemerides — the basis of every computed figure on this site), and the imaging standards and textures behind the high-resolution previews.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's view over the lunar limb: Earth above the Moon's horizon, in monochrome
Science External

LROC: Looking Over The Limb

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera imagery from near the lunar limb — a sense of how the surface and Earth appear from the Moon's edge.

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Apollo 10's Earthrise photograph: the half-lit Earth rising over the lunar surface, May 1969
Missions External

NASA: Apollo 10 view of the Earth

An Apollo-era photograph of the whole Earth from near the Moon — a glimpse of the perspective a permanent lunar camera would hold continuously.

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The cratered lunar surface
Agency External

NASA

The U.S. space agency's portal — lunar science, imagery archives, and mission context relevant to observing Earth from the Moon.

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Earth above the lunar horizon
Agency External

ESA

The European Space Agency — exploration programmes, Earth observation, and lunar activity that frame the wider context for the concept.

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The sub-Earth point's wander computed from the JPL DE440 ephemeris
Data External

JPL planetary ephemerides (DE440)

NASA JPL's planetary and lunar ephemerides — the positional data used to work out where Earth sits in the Moon's sky across the libration cycle.

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High-resolution imaging detail
Imaging External

NHK STRL: the lab behind 8K

NHK’s Science & Technology Research Laboratories, where 8K Super Hi-Vision was developed — the kind of resolution that would let a single frame hold the whole Earth disc in detail.

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Colour and imaging standards reference
Standards PDF

ITU-R BT.2020

The international recommendation for ultra-high-definition television — the colour and resolution standard behind high-fidelity imaging.

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Solar System Scope's Earth day-map texture — the kind of open texture used in the rendered previews
Resource External

Solar System Scope textures

Open planetary surface textures used in visualisations of Earth and the Moon — a reference for the rendered previews of the view.

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