Two astrophotographers shoot 'ridiculously detailed' picture of Moon
What happens when you click the Moon's picture 200,000 times? You get an astonishingly detailed image. That's what space photography enthusiast Andrew McCarthy and planetary scientist Connor Matherne did. It took them nearly two years to produce what they call "the most ridiculously detailed picture" of the satellite. The image dubbed 'The Hunt for Artemis' has a resolution of 174 megapixel.
Why does this story matter?
The image of the Moon by McCarthy and Matherne is the final print of months of painstaking and neck-craning effort. All they used was a camera, a tripod, and a star tracker. Easy, isn't it? Not so fast. What makes this image special is the kind of temperament they displayed and the dedication they showed to put together an awe-inspiring piece of photography.
The detailed image was formed after stacking thousands of pictures
The image revealed by McCarthy and Matherne consists of over 200,000 pictures taken in the course of a single evening. These images were then stacked together into the detailed picture we see now. McCarthy shot over 200,000 pictures from Arizona, while Matherne shot another 500 from Louisiana. The former concentrated on the details, while the latter focused on the color data.
The image shows the Moon in red and blue hues
In the 174-megapixel final image, we see the Moon with a red and gunmetal blue tinge. It is illuminated on the right-hand side (the side facing the Earth). The red patches are iron and feldspar which have been oxidized by errant oxygen atoms from our planet. On the other hand, the blue-colored areas are those rich in titanium.
Our eyes cannot detect Moon's true colors
If you are wondering whether the colors in the image are real or fake, stop. Technically, they are the Moon's true hues. However, our eyes are not sensitive enough to see them. McCarthy gave the picture a saturation boost to bring out the colors.
McCarthy specializes in details, while Matherne's specialty is colors
McCarthy specializes in taking detailed photography. He takes tens of thousands of pictures to capture every nook and corner of the Moon's surface. Matherne's forte, on the other hand, is deep space photography. He specializes in colors. "Andrew aimed purely for the detail side whereas I aimed purely for the color side. That allowed us to get the full moon," said Matherne.
An ode to Artemis 1 mission
The image captured by McCarthy and Matherne certainly gives the James Webb Space Telescope a run for its money. But they didn't have the mighty telescope in their minds. Instead, their image is inspired by NASA's upcoming Artemis 1 lunar mission. "This image is a love letter to the upcoming Artemis 1 mission, the first human-rated lunar launch vehicle in 50 years," tweeted McCarthy.
