Composite image of the Moon

© Prathamesh Jaj

Info. Composite image of the Moon

In July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to ever set foot on the Moon. Their accomplishment was watched by about 20 percent of Earth’s population. More than 600 million television viewers listened in as Armstrong famously said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Today, we’re taking a close look at this extraordinary image of Earth's only natural satellite. Sixteen-year-old Prathamesh Jaju, from Pune in India, worked for more than 40 hours putting together this photograph from more than 50,000 images he took of the Moon’s surface. He used an automated telescope to track the Moon’s movements over a four-hour period in May 2021. The result is this highly detailed portrait of the Moon's craters, textures, shadows and colours.