First HD movies from the Moon

JAXA just released a movie (actually, two separate movies) shot from the Kaguya orbiter as it cruised 100 kilometers over the Moon from the south to the north. Little lumps on the horizon resolve into the dish shapes of craters that expand as they approach the viewer, then disappear underneath. The first sequence shows a mare area, the west edge of Oceanus Procellarum, lit high by the Sun, emphasizing the brightness differences between dark mare material and bright highlands material. The second sequence shows much rougher terrain near the north pole, lit at a lower angle that brings out dramatic shadows. And at the end, Kaguya crosses the terminator to the dark side of the Moon, its night side. (It's a common misconception, perhaps because of the Pink Floyd album and song of the same name, that the Moon has a permanent dark side. It doesn't; every part of the Moon sees days and nights just like every part of Earth does. The Moon does have a far side, the side that faces away from Earth, which we can only see by sending spacecraft there.)

The movie is really beautiful, even if it's not shown at its full HD resolution. Here are a couple of stills: