Blue Ghost lunar lander takes first-ever high-resolution photos of a lunar sunset

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander has returned the first-ever high-quality images of a lunar sunset. The images, which were taken while observing the western horizon, were officially unveiled at a press conference held last night at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. The event marked the end of a successful 14-day mission by Firefly Aerospace in partnership with NASA.

Image source: Firefly Aerospace

The camera on the module captured the moment when the Sun disappeared behind the lunar horizon and plunged into darkness, leaving the surface of the satellite in shadow. The images also clearly show the Earth, reflecting the sun’s rays, and Venus, distinguishable as a tiny bright point. NASA Associate Administrator for Science Joel Kearn noted that these images are not only impressive in their aesthetics, but also have enormous scientific value.

The images also show the lunar horizon glow, a rare phenomenon first observed by Eugene Cernan during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. It is thought to be caused by tiny dust particles floating in the thin lunar atmosphere and illuminated by the rising and setting sun. Analysis of the images will allow scientists to compare the new data with previous findings and draw important conclusions.

The final image, taken before the onset of a two-week lunar night, capped the Blue Ghost mission’s science program. During the project, the spacecraft also captured a blood lunar eclipse, its own shadow on the moon’s surface, the Earth passing through the camera’s field of view, and an artistic sunrise.

Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said: “Firefly Aerospace is extremely proud to have achieved the first fully successful commercial lunar landing. I truly believe that the historic mission of Firefly and Blue Ghost will be a new chapter in the textbooks and a beacon of what humanity can achieve.”