Image, captured on 1 February, 2014, shows a colourized view of Earth from the Moon-based perspective of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Image, captured on 1 February, 2014, shows a colourized view of Earth from the Moon-based perspective of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University

Sen—NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has taken a beautiful new image of Earth rising above a cratered landscape on the Moon.

LRO experiences 12 "Earthrises" every day, however LROC (short for LRO Camera) is almost always busy imaging the lunar surface so only rarely does an opportunity arise such that LROC can capture a view of Earth.

On Feb. 1, 2014, LRO pitched forward while approaching the Moon's north pole allowing the LROC Wide Angle Camera to capture Earthrise over a crater called Rozhdestvenskiy that is 180 km wide (112 miles).

Typically resolution is reported as the number pixels in a single image. For example, a mobile or cell phone camera today has more than 5 million pixels (5 megapixels). The LROC WAC is very different from most digital cameras.

A single WAC frame has only 9,856 pixels, however the WAC builds up a much larger image by exposing a series of images (or frames) as LRO progresses in its orbit—this type of imaging is called "push-frame." Over a full month as the LRO orbit track progresses around the Moon the WAC builds up a collection of images that covers the entire globe.

Occasionally LRO points off into space to acquire observations of the Moon's exosphere and perform instrument calibration measurements. During these slews, sometimes Earth (and other planets) pass through the WAC's field of view and dramatic images such as the one shown here are acquired.

In the image above, the Moon is a grayscale composite of the first six frames of the WAC observation (while the spacecraft was still actively slewing), using visible bands 604 nm (nanometers), 643 nm and 689 nm. Earth is a color composite of later frames, using the 415 nm, 566 nm and 604 nm bands as blue, green and red, respectively.

These wavelengths were picked as they match well the response of the human eye, so the colours are very close to true, that is what the average person might see. Also, in this image the relative brightness between Earth and the Moon is correct. Note how much brighter Earth is relative to the Moon.

Artist's rendering of the LRO spacecraft in orbit. Image credit: NASA

LRO and the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) were launched on an Atlas V rocket on June 18, 2009, beginning a four-day trip to the Moon. The mission set out to map the lunar surface and, after a year of exploration, was extended with a unique set of science objectives.

LRO spent its first three years in a low polar orbit collecting detailed information about the Moon and its environment. After this initial orbit, LRO transitioned to a stable elliptical orbit, passing low over the lunar south pole. With a suite of seven powerful instruments, LRO has collected a treasure trove of data, making an invaluable contribution to our knowledge about the Moon.

LRO observations have enabled numerous groundbreaking discoveries, creating a new picture of the Moon as a dynamic and complex body.

The full image of Earthrise from which our main picture is cropped. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University