China has shared the world's first panoramic photos and videos of the far side of the moon, following the successful landing of a robotic lander and rover there earlier this month.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) published groundbreaking photos on their website, taken by a 360-degree camera attached to the Chang’e 4 probe and beamed to Earth via the Queqiao satellite.

They also published a video of the Moon's surface to YouTube:

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

The new and exciting footage and images show the Moon's rocky grey surface, punctuated with potholes. This side of the moon is never visible from Earth because the moon is tidally locked to our planet, rotating at the same rate as it orbits us.

The probe's rover will now explore the surface, providing astronomers with a comprehensive picture of the moon's composition.

How do the 2 sides of the moon differ?

"Many lunar orbiters have shown the moon's two sides are very different: the near side has more and relatively flat lunar mares, while the far side is thickly dotted with impact craters of different sizes," the CNSA explain.



"Scientists infer that the lunar crust on the far side is much thicker than the near side. However, the reality is still a mystery, and only in-situ exploration might reveal the secrets."

China National Space Administrat Getty Images

What is the mission?

The Chang’e 4 probe landed near the Van Karman crater, the moon’s largest, oldest and deepest one, located in the South Pole-Aitken basin, on 3rd January.

Previous missions have seen the far-side of the moon, but the Chinese spacecraft is the first to land there and beam back high resolution images. Landing here is deemed very risky because the surface is very mountainous and uneven.

The information provided by the probe is therefore integral to understanding the make-up of the moon, and our universe as a whole.

China News Service Getty Images

"For astronomers, the far side of the moon is a place of ideal tranquility, as the body of the moon shields against radio interference from Earth. From there, they could study the origins and evolution of stars and galaxies, peering into the dawn of the universe," the CNSA say.

China is currently pouring a huge amount of money into space exploration. Their next lunar mission Chang’e 5 is planned for later this year.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io