LRO re-images Tranquility base

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been in its final orbit for almost two months now and has passed over the Apollo 11 landing site again, but this time only 50km above. The full power of the camera is now revealed.


The Sun is almost directly overhead, so the surface seems 'flat' with no shadows, but look at the big bright blob. That's the landing stage of the LEM, the four dots around it are the landing pads. To the South are the scientific instruments they left behind and snaking around are the tracks left by Armstrong and Aldrin.

The whole image is little more than 100m across, if there were astronauts there now they would probably be visible. Amazing.

See Bad Astronomy for more.