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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Zodiacal light at the Moon from LADEE

Zodiacal light at the Moon from LADEE
Zodiacal light at the Moon from LADEE The LADEE Moon orbiter took this series of images of the Sun rising above the lunar horizon on April 12, 2014, just five days before LADEE's orbit decayed to the point where it crashed into the lunar surface. The series begins with LADEE viewing the lunar horizon ahead, a few minutes before orbital sunrise. At this position, there is already a glow of zodiacal light in the sky above the completely dark surface of the Moon, though the Sun is many degrees below the horizon. LADEE’s orbital motion makes the stars appear to move to the left. The same motion brings the Sun closer to the horizon ahead and the glow gets brighter. In fact, the glow becomes so bright, parts of the image are saturated. Finally, sunrise fully saturates the camera image. NASA Ames

More about this photo from the LADEE website