Astronomy Picture of the Day - 2017 July 22- Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
Astronomy Picture of the Day
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2017 July 22
Apollo 11: Catching Some Sun
Image Credit: Apollo 11, NASA (Image scanned by Kipp Teague)
Explanation:
Bright sunlight glints and long dark shadows mark this image of the lunar surface. It was taken July 20, 1969 by Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the Moon.
Pictured is the mission's lunar module, the Eagle, and spacesuited lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin unfurling a long sheet of foil also known as the Solar Wind Composition Experiment. Exposed facing the Sun, the foil trapped particles streaming outward in the solar wind, catching a sample of material from the Sun itself.
Along with moon rocks and lunar soil samples, the solar wind collector was returned for analysis in earthbound laboratories.
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