Post #4125453
2026-07-27 00:57 UTC
Here are 2 images of a crescent Earth and Moon taken by one of the twin NASA ESCAPADE spacecraft on July 3.
The 2nd image was taken in infrared, where Earth glows due to heat absorbed by the oceans, land and atmosphere. The night side of the Moon remains cold.
Distance to Earth: 584,600 km
To Moon: 186,100 km
The ESCAPADE spacecraft are currently in a “loiter” orbit around Lagrange point L2. In Nov, the spacecraft will fly by Earth to slingshot their way to Mars.
https://science.nasa.gov/image-article/centers-and-facilities/goddard/nasas-escapade-snaps-family-portrait-of-earth-moon/
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Replies (1)
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@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 2026-07-27 01:02
The map below shows the location of the twin ESCAPADE spacecraft on July 3, when the images were taken. The ESCAPADE spacecraft will reach Mars in Sept. 2027. They will study how the solar wind interacts with the Martian environment and how that drives atmospheric loss at the Red Planet. For more info on the ESCAPADE mission, see https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/115520802295795262 https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-system/#/earth?time=2026-11-09T00:46:03.177+00:00&rate=0 2/n