Astronomy Picture of the Day: 10/11/13 - The Lunar Surface from Apollo 17

This is a picture of the lunar surface taken by astronauts on the Apollo 17 mission. This is one of the last pictures ever taken from the surface of the moon.

Apollo 17 was the last manned moon mission and marks the last time a human has traveled beyond Earth’s gravity. This mission, the sixth Apollo landing, occurred on December 11, 1972. Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan spent nearly 24 hours outside of the lunar module over the course of three spacewalks.

There isn’t much I can say about the picture itself. You can see the lunar module (named Challenger) near the foot of the hills surrounding Taurus-Littrow. You can also see the astronaut’s footprints as well as a piece of equipment to the right barely inside the frame (if anyone knows what this is, feel free to let us know!). You can also see some significant sun-glare.

References, sources, and further reading can be found here: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-101113-the-lunar-surface-from-apollo-17/