This is the hidden face of the moon like you’ve never seen if before, as captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s LOLA instruments. Despite its appearance, the picture wasn’t processed by NASA scientists taking LSD while listening to Pink Floyd.
The rainbow colors correspond to the elevation of the terrain, going from 20,000 feet (red) to -20,000 feet (blue). The beautiful coloring, combined with the unique sharp view of the craters—the largest in the solar system—makes me want the whole Moon to be exactly like that all year around.
