Moon: Astrophotographer takes incredible photo of our lunar satellite

This baffling photo of the moon in inverted colors shows where it once flowed with magma – and what it would look like with ‘superhuman vision’.

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, known as cosmic_background on Instagram, has altered the image of the lunar surface to emphasize things that the human eye cannot see.

The incredible photo was taken by processing the image with an inverted luminance layer to enhance the lunar structure.

This baffling photo of the moon in inverted colors shows where it once flowed with magma – and what it would look like with ‘superhuman vision’

Andrew says the bright areas show where the moon once flowed with magma.

He said, ‘Our eyes are incredible, but sometimes it’s cool to see what things could look like with superhuman vision.

In this version, the colors show how the composition changes where the magma once flowed, and how the impact on the surface adds an extra touch of color.

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, known as cosmic_background on Instagram, has altered the image of the lunar surface to emphasize things the human eye cannot see

The incredible photo was taken by processing the image with an inverted luminance layer to enhance the lunar structure

The colors are real and represent the moon’s hidden geological history.

“I feel like this image shows the colors and features in a unique way that I haven’t seen before.”

Known for his stunning astrophotography, Andrew recently took a once in a blue moon shot of the International Space Station passing over the moon.

The rare recording of the station’s reoriented image “instantly became one of my favorite recordings,” McCarthy explains.

Andrew says the bright areas show where the moon once flowed with magma

What made this image remarkable was the orientation of the ISS at the time it was taken and McCarthy’s “ to the second ” precision capturing the orbit lab as it skimmed over Copernicus crater on the moon – before disappearing.

This lunar impact crater is visible with binoculars just northwest of the center of the Moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere.

The solar panels, which usually lie flat on either side of the station, were seen at different angles as a result of the spacewalk, adding to the uniqueness of the photo.

SCIENTISTS DON’T AGREE ON HOW THE MOON FORMED BUT MANY BELIEVE IT WAS THE RESULT OF AN IMPACT BETWEEN THE EARTH AND ANOTHER PLANET

Many researchers believe the Moon was created after Earth was hit by a planet the size of Mars billions of years ago.

This is called the giant impact hypothesis.

The theory suggests that the moon is made up of debris left over from a collision between our planet and a body about 4.5 billion years ago.

The colliding body is sometimes called Theia, after the mythical Greek Titan who was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the moon.

Many researchers believe the Moon was created after Earth was hit by a planet the size of Mars billions of years ago. This is called the giant impact hypothesis

But one mystery has remained, revealed by rocks brought from the moon by the Apollo astronauts: Why are the Moon and Earth so similar in composition?

Over the years, several theories have emerged to explain the similar fingerprints of the Earth and Moon.

Perhaps the impact created a huge cloud of debris that thoroughly mixed with the Earth and later condensed to form the moon.

Or Theia could, coincidentally, be chemically similar to the young Earth.

A third possibility is that the Moon was formed from earthen materials, rather than from Theia, although this would have been a very unusual type of impact.