#lunar orbiter

[thepastisalreadywritten]

On 5 April 2008, the Japanese spacecraft Kaguya captured this full Earth-rise over the Moon limb in high resolution.

📹: JAXA

—

SELENE (Selenological and Engineering Explorer), better known in Japan by its nickname Kaguya, was the second Japanese lunar orbiter spacecraft following the Hiten probe.

Produced by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA), the spacecraft was launched on 14 September 2007.

After successfully orbiting the Moon for a year and eight months, the main orbiter was instructed to impact on the lunar surface near the crater Gill on 10 June 2009.

[lindahall]

Lunar Orbiter 1 – Scientist of the Day Lunar Orbiter 1, an American spacecraft, was launched toward the Moon on Aug. 10, 1966, aboard an Atlas-Agena D rocket.

Learn more

[kevinmmiller]

China and the World: Post COVID-19 and Beyond

To conclude, the Chinese, mainland’s CCP Government, and its excellent use of the COVID-19 pandemic, an order to perpetuate its standing amongst the Chinese, people, while cherry-picking amongst the United States, and its allies, effectively picking winne

To conclude, the Chinese, mainland’s CCP Government, and its excellent use of the COVID-19 pandemic, an order to perpetuate its standing amongst the Chinese, people, while cherry-picking amongst the United States, and its allies, effectively picking winners, and losers, has become the lost story of our times. The bellicosity which the Chinese socialist republic has demonstrated, both at home…

[zytes]

9.16.24 / 9.17.24 - september supermoon

[spacefrontier]

Launch of Lunar Orbiter I on an Atlas-Agena D rocket. August 10, 1966.

Lunar Orbiter I became the first American spacecraft to enter Lunar orbit on August 14. Its primary mission was to photograph potential landing sites for upcoming Apollo missions. The probe returned 205 images back to Earth over the course of its mission.

Following the primary mission, Lunar Orbiter I returned radiation, micrometeoroid, and engineering data until October 29, when ground controllers fired its engines and crashed the probe on the Lunar farside.

The first image of Earth taken from Lunar orbit. August 23, 1966.

NASA

[pixel00slvt9161]

Her talent is absolutely amazing

[literallymechanical]

I’m trying to write a “quick” reference doc of in-universe common knowledge for the players in my ttrpg campaign but every time I sit down to edit, it expands by another 200 words. The section on orbital dynamics is now almost a full page. There should not be a section on orbital dynamics. Why do I have chronic terminal writer brain. H e l p

[bluemoon1331]

Hello, hello! Welcome to my main blog, where the DCA fascination consumes! My alt blog is @sharetheartman, go check it out if you wanna see the amazing art this community has to offer!

My Ko-fi (if you're able to help a struggling writer, very much appreciated. Can request written commissions if you want): BlueMoon1331

Below is a list of all my current fics on A03 and planned AUs! Give them a read if you love fantasy and the DCA! (Updated to divide between the SFW and NSFW stories)

<<<<<First up, the SFW section!>>>>>>

Finished Works:

One Lost Star- You are a bit of a hermit, living solo off the land since the death of your grandfather. Until you draw certain godly attention, that is.

Scarlet Masquerade- The sole heir to your kingdom, you find yourself caught in the tangled web of the automaton emperor's plans. However, things are about to go from bad to worse when you catch the interest of the deadly automaton assassin sent to end you.

WIPs:

Cosmic Journeys- Trapped in the depths of depression, you seek an unfortunate out. The nearby land owner won't let that happen, though. Thus begins a journey of self-worth and finding hope in a world of madness and compassion, monsters, saints, and everything in between.

Come and Go- A Megamind-inspired AU with Sun as Metroman, Moon as Megamind, and Eclipse as Titan, while you are a delivery driver caught in the middle.

Unusual- An oceanographer, there is no place you'd rather be than scouring the depths of the seven seas, studying its plant life and creatures, in particular the infamous mers, beings most of your co-workers are quite wary of. They don't seem to mind you too much, though, a fact you try not to put stock in until an encounter on the beach near your house flips your entire world upside down. Strings of fate and a battle to rule the oceans with you as the key? Ridiculous. Right?

Of Metal Parts and Roadside Shenanigans- You are a trucker traveling home before unwittingly tripping headfirst into a giant mystery. (More of @deceptiveshadow's Blood Moon cause I love him and cannot help myself.)

One-shots:

Party Crashing 101- A piece inspired by the mafia episode from Helluva Boss. Badass, protective reader ftw XD

Blooming In Adversity- You and the princesses were great friends in your youth, until you had to move away. Years later, you return, your friendship blooming anew. However, dark plots turn in the background, and it may be up to just you to save them.

Phantom Tide- You are a siren, crushed under betrayal. Sun and Moon are brothers recovering from the throes of grief. Perhaps you may be just what each other need.

Connotations- Your duties as a druid are fairly life-consuming, but you have happily devoted yourself to them. Keeping the peace is not the easiest, but you do it all the same. Unfortunately, the arrival of contesting priests threaten your efforts, setting you on a collision course to meet three of the forest's most powerful caretakers.

Diamonds and Iron- Being a rather big-time mafia boss, of course Eclipse needs places to stash away his income. As an outdoor enthusiast, you love visiting the local motorsports arena when you can afford it. Oh, who's that standing in the middle of the track, where you can't see?

Birds of a Feather- You are stuck as the basically powerless manager to the newly opened pizzaplex. With problems everywhere you look, you're not sure which one to focus on or handle first. Perhaps you could find a kindred soul in a certain mechanic, however. (Based in the EAPS universe)

<<<<<<<<<NSFW area ahoy!>>>>>>>>>>

Finished Works:

Never Play Cat and Mouse With Vampires- Living alone is a necessity, your skills in hunting, magic, and evasion giving you all you need for contentment, or so you tell yourself. In your newest home you, unfortunately, find that your capabilities only draw the infatuation of three local creatures that are intent to finally capture you and make you theirs. Annoyingly, they may just get that chance.

Dancing In Orbit- The lunar vampire is the last of his kind, a deadly plague on the Earth that refuses to yield despite the uncountable years that have passed since the last of his kin and kind died off. You, running from your intertwined past, seek to finally put an end to that, with some help from friends old and new.

Familiar Constellations- The vampires get a bit quirky about you, especially when you egg them on. Mature. Very, very mature. Good gods they are rough, but you love it. After all, you can get a bit rough with them, too.

Gravity- Featuring another of @deceptiveshadow's lovely OCs, Nova. Normally quite the quiet and cat-like companion, you join him for a round of games in which his behavior becomes increasingly odd. That's nothing compared to when you strangely wake in the tower the next day, having no recollection of how you got there, and what comes after.

WIPs:

Embers and Ash- Ghost hunting is your profession, and you are damn good at it. Which is why you don't think twice when you're hired to cleanse an abandoned mansion of its otherworldly resident. Too bad this job is not the cake walk you thought it would be.

Burning Stars- You run your farm alone on a world teeming with aliens and humans, content with your animal family and helpful community, even if you keep the latter at arm's lengths. Until your peace is interrupted by a certain intergalactic bounty hunter, anyway.

Rosewood's Serenade- The eldest child of your kingdom, you have trained since birth to be all your home needs and more, intent to take the throne when the time comes, marriage or no. However, your parents harbor a secret, a deal struck when disaster threatened to destroy all they hold dear, and you soon find yourself meeting a most intriguing being...

Demonic- The saying of Hell is empty for all the demons are here has never been more apt. Caught smack dab in the middle of the infamous Hell-Day event, you come out with an unexpected passenger woven into your soul. Now, you secretly fight to preserve the fragile balance between mortals and the demons trapped on Earth, all while contending with the fact your new neighbors are the very ones responsible for sealing the gates, the infamous Celestial Graces. They also happen to be the mortal enemies of the one currently living in you. Fun times all around, especially with devil himself on your heels, seeking to reclaim what he lost.

Along the Akesh- Blessed with visions since your youth, you were taken and raised by the temple, becoming one of the highest-ranked priests, second to only the grand heijut himself. With an awe-inspiring festival and ritual that happens only once every five centuries under way, you are eager to meet the moon god, one of the many you have had the pleasure of conversing with throughout your prayers and oracles, in person. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when the temple must pay recompense for an accidental screw up with a gift left by an old friend. You are about to learn just how intrigued you and the moon god truly are with each other.

One-shots:

Bleeding Feathers- You weren't supposed to go into the exclusionary zone, but that's never been a problem for you before. This time, however, you might just get more than you bargained for. Fan piece for @deceptiveshadow's harpy au! (Not TSAMS)

Color Theory- Moving back to your late grandma's cabin, you pray for things to finally settle down. Unfortunately, her myriad of secrets seek to come back and haunt you, but hey, it might not be all bad this time. You could use the comfort of an old friend. Another fic inspired by @deceptiveshadow! Their god Blood Moon this time. (Not TSAMS)

<<<<<<<Lastly, miscellaneous potential AUs!>>>>>>>

Lich King AU- With the three realms in shambles, cut off from each other, it is up to the most powerful warriors of Earth to fend off the lich king and his Elite army, including his own brothers. You, whom offers them a secret safe haven and relaxation when they need it, cannot deny your love for Sun and Moon, nor they you, but with Eclipse hounding for any weakness he can use against his kin, is the danger really worth it? You find the answer may be coming sooner than you would like when the two go missing after a fight.

Spirited Away AU- You have moved to a more remote region in hopes of forgetting a troubled family life. Content to spend your time among the lush jungles of the land, you inadvertently stumble upon an obviously long-forgotten temple. Curiosity eats at you, and you cannot help get closer, initially unaware of the myriad of eyes watching you, until you spot...an icy blue leopard? It's a good thing you helped those snakes and that spider on your way here.

Harem AU- You saved them from certain death, and now the clan of vampire brothers serve you. For years uncountable, you have pulled the strings, quite happy to cause chaos around the world when it becomes too dull for your liking, going from hero to hero. On blood soaked ground, you are content with your helpful vampires, though can things really stay the same forever?

Skyrim AU- Every place has its demons, no matter how reclusive or small. You consider yourself one of them. Seeking an escape, you move to Solstheim hoping for a fresh start. How unfortunate for you that you would arrive during the island's darkest hour. Cults, strange creatures, a frost giant king, and the arrival of two Dragonborns drag you right back into the spotlight, dredging up your past as you all race against time and the greedy daedra of knowledge to stop each other's destruction.

Then There Was One- You wake up to an empty world. You don't comprehend how or why it happened, just that everyone seems to have vanished in the blink of an eye. Cars sit vacant in traffic, meals left uneaten, internet full of messages that abruptly stopped hours ago. You try to live on your lonesome, keeping yourself distracted, and ignoring the gnawing loneliness. Except, well, you might not be as alone as you think, a fact you find out far too late when your page gets flooded with AI messages and bots are suddenly knocking at your day. Just what the hell kind of universal joke was this robot apocalypse you were stuck in? Or...do you have this all wrong? Your new companions may yet help you figure it out.

[lonestarflight]

Earth rises above the lunar horizon, as seen from the Apollo 12 Command Module (CSM-108) Yankee Clipper in lunar orbit.

Date: November 18-21, 1969

NASA ID: AS12-47-6879, AS12-47-6880, AS12-47-6881, AS12-47-6882, AS12-47-6883, AS12-47-6884, AS12-47-6885, AS12-47-6886, AS12-47-6887, AS12-47-6888, AS12-47-6889, AS12-47-6890, AS12-47-6891, AS12-47-6892, AS12-47-6893, AS12-47-6894, AS12-47-6895

[krakenmare]

Lunar Orbiter 2, Copernicus crater on the Moon (November 24, 1966)

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

I don’t like how canon’s going so I shall simply introduce you all to the alternative reality of the show that has lived in my head rent free since Lunar and Old Moon died.

Blood Moon and Harvest Moon are living as Sun’s cats. Sun doesn’t know this, Blood Moon and Harvest Moon are too busy getting spoiled and pampered and loved on to tell Sun, nor do they have the voice box to do so.

Old Moon separating from KC didn’t kill him but made a new AI, New Moon, that took over their body while Old Moon is just inactive because he thought he’d die and turned himself into a catatonic state in their head.

New Moon has no idea Old Moon is alive and neither does literally ANYONE else. Not even Old Moon knows he’s alive.

Eclipse does not get the star. After Sun tried to kill him, he went into hiding and became a better person so he could eventually show his family he’s changing so he doesn’t get another murder attempt for his head.

Solar Flare and Eclipse split eventually, Flare stays because he knows Eclipse is lonely and he’s trying to change and he appreciates this.

Flare also sneaks in and deletes the encrypted file he sent to Old Moon of the way to kill every one of Eclipse’s backups and Eclipse himself.

KC still goes off working at the soup kitchen and having tinder dates. But he’s grieving his children in assumptions that Sun has killed all three of them (four if he includes Flare, which he does).

Lunar doesn’t die because Eclipse doesn’t kill him. Lunar is the one to find Eclipse handing out food and blankets to homeless people and just yoinks him home and demands Lunar, Eclipse, and Flare play Uno together. Monty walks in on this and is completely shocked and confused.

Jigsaw comes in like a bat out of hell and does make a New Blood Moon. New BM almost instantaneously hates him and he tosses him off to the daycare so they get two new brothers, neat.

KC comes back once Sun and New Moon send word that he technically has two new kids. KC yoinks them, New BM gets to enjoy living the hippie life in a van in a forest with their dad. New BM gets renamed Zodiac and Horoscope so they can become their own people.

Jigsaw finds out Eclipse is alive. Somehow. He proceeds to scream and whine to Eclipse about how he wants a family and ‘how unfair it was that New BM got a family’.

Eclipse tells him to just reconcile with Moon and Sun. Jigsaw does this. And accidentally tells them that Eclipse is alive.

Sun and New Moon hunt down Eclipse and find him and Flare playing Scrabble. They do not kill him. They just call KC and KC’s camper van now resides in Lunar’s backyard. Lunar moves back into the daycare.

Lunar finally meets Sun’s cats and immediately points out that the cats are Blood Moon and Harvest Moon. Sun hands them over to New Moon to put into new bodies. KC gets another call. Sun gets two new cats. Blood Moon and Harvest Moon keep their cat ears and tails out of spite.

New Moon eventually feels Old Moon moving around in that head of theirs. KC is sent in as a volunteer for investigation. KC sighs and helps them separate New Moon into a new body so Old Moon has his body back. New Moon gets renamed Orbit.

Moon constantly jokes afterward that KC owes him six months of back child support for ‘their illegitimate son that they technically made together’, aka Orbit. KC always jokes back asking for joint custody or visitation. Orbit continues being an adorable boy and following in Moon’s footsteps.

Good Eclipse flees his dimension and becomes part of the main family. KC gets yet another call and yet another kid. KC can no longer fit his family in the camper van in the backyard. Everyone nicknames him Solar. Eclipse claims he, Jigsaw, and Solar are triplets.

The old twins and new twins have a show together. So do Eclipse, Solar and Jigsaw. Lunar’s show is with KC instead of Earth and jokingly gets called the Peepaw and Grandson Show.

[yzas-oc-blog]

Hmm. A concept I'm thinking about, presented with little to no context.

[cosmicnovaflare]

a mix of Thai/Japanese/Chinese traditional clothing would look so cute in Cinder. The draped piece with sequins and embroidery from Thai dresses would look so pretty with Lunar details and moons and stars. actually all of these would look pretty on her with details of Luna

Yes, I love the concept! Thai/Cambodian clothing was the first thought I had when imagining non-aristocratic sectors of Luna before Wires and Nerve came out. Or even for some of the higher nobility that don’t participate in the aristocracy at all. I’d still imagine the palace with Nagara temple-style architecture (because Cypress Blackburn has a god complex and all) too if it weren’t for the beautiful art they had in Fairest (though Wires and Nerve ignored that too) but at least we can still speculate on the inner decorum. Hindu and Gaelic inspired interiors could still fit even if we include Wires and Nerve.

But yeah, now I want to focus a lot on what Lunar clothing could look like. Wouldn’t it be cool if tons of unique attire evolved over time throughout sectors outside of the capital? I won’t speculate on Artemisia too much since the nobles have and will take, appropriate, and throw away anything in the name of beauty, but what if there was a mining sector with traditions similar to Miao Silver? As Artemisia doesn’t seem to have a lack of anorthite, or compounds mixed with anorthite, perhaps this may be a tradition in one of the outer sectors.

If it takes place in a mining sector, imagine hair pieces, earrings, necklaces, pins, aglets, etc. made of Lunar Anorthosite that can be passed down throughout families. Not only would it look beautiful, but could you imagine the folklore behind it? Marissa didn’t drill in just how symbolic it is to have the royal crown be made of crystalline anorthosite. Anorthosite, the Genesis Rock. Rare on Earth, and likely the mineral that surrounds the outer walls of Artemisia Palace. The rock that was the final key to piecing together the formation of a celestial object 1/80th the size of the Earth, the rock that explained the evolution of the moon, and the first thing the majority of people think of when talking about the Apollo 15 mission!

If it is still unlikely that a mining sector would be allowed to keep any anorthosite, then maybe let’s speculate on regolith solidified by impact shockwaves. The dark grey/black would have a bold contrast with much of the building stone in the Capital. Maybe this could be a tradition in a sector that uses electrolysis to mine oxygen or water, a sector that uses fusion with helium 3, or even ra sector that explores the terrain outside of the domes that simply finds this regolith in areas with high meteor impacts.

[zaynes-left-chesticle]

Can Zayne PLEASE get one more 4-star emerald memory??? 🟢

Solar or Lunar, I don't even care. But having to use the 3-star weak ass card is killing me!! ☠️ Even the pose in that card is like "shit, why me?"

[thepastisalreadywritten]

(CNN) — Sky-gazers around the world were able to glimpse a partial lunar eclipse while September’s full harvest moon shone brightly Tuesday night.

The moon peaked at its fullest at 10:35 p.m. ET Tuesday but will appear full through Thursday morning, according to NASA.

If you viewed the moon on Tuesday evening for about an hour, it also appeared as if a bite has been taken out of it due to a partial lunar eclipse.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when Earth moves between the sun and the full moon without being perfectly aligned.

The celestial event appeared over Europe and much of Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.

The moon entered Earth’s full shadow at 10:13 p.m. ET and exited it at 11:16 p.m. ET.

The peak of the eclipse was expected to occur at 10:44 p.m. ET, according to NASA.

During a total lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow can turn the moon’s surface a striking red color, which is known as a blood moon, according to NASA.

But that won’t be the case this week, experts say.

“The eclipse (Tuesday) will not be a total lunar eclipse, so the moon won’t appear red, instead a portion of the moon will darken,” said Noah Petro, NASA project scientist for both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Artemis III.

“If you didn’t know it were happening or even look at the moon it might not be noticeable.

But the keen observer may notice the ‘top right’ corner of the moon darker than the rest of the moon,” he said via email.

“This is the part that is completely in(Earth’s) shadow, though not a large portion of the moon will be in darkness.

But if its clear out I encourage folks to go out and look, it’s always worthwhile to look at the moon!”

September’s full moon is also considered the second of four consecutive supermoons expected in 2024, according to NASA.

Definitions of a supermoon can vary, but the term generally denotes a full moon that is closer to Earth than normal and thus appears larger and brighter in the night sky.

Some astronomers say the phenomenon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee — its closest approach to Earth in orbit.

While the typical distance between Earth and the moon is an average of 238,900 miles (384,472 kilometers), September’s full moon was expected to be just 222,637 miles (358,300 kilometers) away, according to NASA.

And keep an eye out for Saturn, which will look like a bright dot close to the full moon.

Naming The Moon

The name harvest moon is a nod to the season because the event happens close to the beginning of fall, or the autumnal equinox, which occurs on September 22.

Many people associate the harvest moon with being orange in color as it begins to rise, but the same could be said of all full moons.

The hue is due to the greater thickness of Earth’s atmosphere near the horizon, according to EarthSky.

Typically, this time of year is when many summer-planted crops peak in the Northern Hemisphere, and the bright moon once helped farmers work into the evening to harvest their bounty ahead of the first frost, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Other monikers for September’s full moon — as used across various indigenous tribes — include the “moon of full harvest” from the Hopi people, the “corn maker moon” from the Abenaki tribe, the “moon of the brown leaves” from the Lakota people and “autumn moon” from the Passamaquoddy tribe.

European names for the moon also honor the fall harvest, including the “fruit moon,” a nod to the fruits that ripen as summer ends, and the “barley moon” to mark when the crop is collected from the fields, according to NASA.

Other harvest-celebrating traditions around this time include the Korean festival of Chuseok and the Chinese Mooncake Festival, both of which also celebrate family and the remembrance of ancestors.

Upcoming Celestial Events

The next full moon, the hunter’s moon occurring on October 17, will also be a supermoon and the closest of the year at 222,095 miles (357,428 kilometers) away.

The beaver moon will occur on November 15, and the final full moon of the year will be the cold moon on December 15.

Meanwhile, sky-gazers can anticipate a busy meteor shower season to close out 2024.

Here are peak dates for upcoming celestial activity, according to the American Meteor Society:

Draconids: October 7-8

Orionids: October 20-21

Southern Taurids: November 4-5

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 17-18

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22

[eclipsedcrystalstar]