Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: Could you ever call this place home? The lunar module shown above, named "Falcon," served as home for Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott and James Irwin during their stay on the Moon in July and August 1971. Meanwhile, astronaut Alfred Worden circled in the command module overhead. Harsh sunlight on the grey lunar surface lends the image an eerie quality, while the Lunar Apennine Mountains frame the background. Mount Hadley Delta is visible on the right. Visible in the foreground are tracks from the first Lunar Roving Vehicle, an electric car which enabled the astronauts to explore extended areas on the lunar surface. Apollo 15 confirmed that most lunar surface features were created by impacts. Rocks returned by the Apollo 15 crew included green glasses whose formation mechanism is still unclear.

你會想把這裡當作家園嗎？ 上圖裡的登月小艇名為“獵鷹號（Falcon）”，曾是阿波羅15號太空人David Scott和James Irwin，1971年7月至8月期間在月球上的家。 在此同時，指揮艙內的太空人Alfred Worden在上空軌道上繞行。 灰色月球表面上的強烈陽光賦予此圖怪異的質感，而影像背景則為月球的亞平寧山脈。 右側可見的為哈德利三角洲山。 前景中可見第一輛月面車的車轍，這艘電動車，讓得太空人得以探索更廣闊的月面。 阿波羅15號的任務證實，大部份月表特徵都是由撞擊事件所造成的。 阿波羅15號的太空人帶回的月岩中挾雜一些綠色玻璃，不過其形成機制目前仍然不明。