Japanese Selene takes first HDTV video of Earth-rise, Earth-set from Moon

William Atkins
Wednesday, 14 November 2007 21:07

Science - Space

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully taken the first high-definition video of the Earth, via its Selene spacecraft, as it rises above the Moon (Earth-rise) and the first HD video as Earth goes behind the Moon (Earth-set).        

In cooperation with the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), who developed the high definition television (HDTV) for the Selene spacecraft, the JAXA inserted the Selene (“Kaguya”) lunar orbiting spacecraft into an orbit about the Moon on October 18, 2007. It is at an altitude of about 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface.

The video was taken by Selene on November 7, 2007, which then transmitted it to the JAXA Usuda Deep Space Center. The data was then processed by the NHK.

The Earth-rise and the Earth-set videos, along with the photographs of each, are found on the November 13, 2007 JAXA website “KAGUYA (SELENE) Image Taking of Earth-Rise by HDTV”.

The Japanese photographs are being compared to the NASA images of Earth seen rising over the Moon, which were taken during the U.S. Apollo program. Specifically, the famous image of the Earth seen from the Moon was taken by NASA astronaut William Anders on Apollo 8, the first manned lunar mission, which occurred between December 21 and 27, 1968.

The spacecraft, with commander Frank Borman, command module pilot James Lovell, and lunar module pilot William Anders onboard, orbited the Moon ten times before returning to home base: Earth.

The “Earthrise” image is tagged AS8-14-2383HR by NASA. It was taken on December 24, 1968.

The image appears on the NASA website “Earthrise at Christmas”.