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all 265 comments

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 247 points248 points  (30 children)

Zoom in as far as you can!!

This image is actually the byproduct of a much larger project I'm working on, but since the rest of the project won't be finished until next weekend I thought I'd share the most crystal-clear image of the moon I've ever taken in the meantime. Little specks in this image are mile-wide mountains and boulders!

This image was created using a combination of shots from 2 different cameras, one to capture color, stars, and (some) earthshine, and one to capture the surface details and textures on the Moon. The shots were then stacked and pieced together for editing. I took so many shots to average out the blurring caused by atmospheric turbulence, as well as to eliminate noise captured by the camera sensor. Different atmopsheric conditions means some shots were better than others, so a lot of repitition was necessary to get the best possible image.

For more of this kind of thing, come find me on instagram @cosmic_background. I share more details about how I acquire my moon pictures in my stories pinned to my profile, and do live updates as I work on projects. Feel free to DM me if you ever want to chat about astronomy/astrophotography/equipment or anything else. Most of my shots are taken from my backyard in Sacramento, California.

Equipment:

Orion XT10

Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

ZWO ASI224MC

Sony a7ii

Process:

Acquired around 500 tiles with the ZWO camera, and each tile was 2000 images (around 1,000,000 images, give or take a few thousand). I took around 2500 shots with the sony, over around 24 tiles. I also took a few hundred shots with a 300mm lens to capture some stars around the moon. All these images were stacked in autostakkert, then stitched together and adjusted in photoshop until I was happy with the composition.

You have my blessing to use this as a wallpaper if you like it. If you want it for any other use DM me.

Downloadable Link

Original 400 Megapixel image I posted to r/space

Miscellaneous fun facts about this image:

  • This was shot over a period of 6 hours on Thursday night.
  • This took over a terabyte of data.
  • It took two full days before my computer finished stacking everything and I could finish assembling the composition in photoshop... (actually 2 computers were working non-stop on this)
  • The photoshop file reached a peak of 24GB while working on this, despite constantly flattening/ trimming as I went.
  • The first time I saved the master stack of images, my computer was working so hard I blew a circuit breaker in my house.. didn't even know that was possible!
  • This is actually downscaled- if I had processed everything in maximum sizes, the image would have been 40k x 40k pixels- 1.6 Gigapixels!

[–]edneil 69 points70 points  (10 children)

The first time I saved the master stack of images, my computer was working so hard I blew a circuit breaker in my house.. didn't even know that was possible!

I have many questions. Super crappy circuit breaker or some ridiculous dual or quad-Xeon workstation?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 46 points47 points  (5 children)

Crappy circuit breaker. I also had three computers running on the same circuit.

[–]edneil 24 points25 points  (2 children)

really crappy, wow!

It appears to have been worth it, though, this is one hell of a fantastic image.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 11 points12 points  (1 child)

Thank you!

[–]takingphotosmakingdo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

desktops? if they're your biz definitely invest in UPS!

[–]Basoran 8 points9 points  (1 child)

As a homeowner, and a journeyman electrician, my wife's computer has her own circuit, mine is dedicated. Everything has its own batery backup.

[–]Solteris_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s actually really cool!

[–]valax 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Computers don't even pull that much power do they?

[–]edneil 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Not particularly... even the dual Westmere Xeon system I run at work uses about 500 watts at full pelt, it's not much.

The typical desktop PC will be around 100 - 200 watts at most.

[–]valax 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Exactly. I think OP just had an (un)lucky coincidence with it failing at that time.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably

[–]Thorgil 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ehm. I want the 1.6 GPx image. pls.

also, amazing picture! I love the moon and it's beauty.

[–]red_moles 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing!!

[–]reverendtonezone 2 points3 points  (0 children)

BRAVO!

[–]MangoCats 1 point2 points  (10 children)

Always surprises me how most of the craters are just about round, from a more or less dead-on strike. I get how gravity brings the meteors in, but it would seem like more than a few would strike a glancing blow, particularly with no atmosphere to drag on them.

On the photoshop technical side: how much of the process is automatic vs you comparing two options and telling the software which one to use?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 17 points18 points  (5 children)

Even an angle strike makes a round crater. The crater isn't from the impact, but from the heat and shockwave, which propagates radially.

The stacking is automatic, the stitching is manual.

[–]DONT_STOP_ME_SEMEN 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Craters being round from the shockwave propagation makes complete sense.

But what would cause something like this? (https://i.imgur.com/7hpV4vS) Would those ‘drag’ or ‘skid’ marks come from a much lower mass and lower velocity impact with a more glancing impact vector relative to the surface?

I know almost nothing about space/astronomy, but I spent forever looking at all the detail in your awesome picture! Seeing the texture and contrast to everything makes it so much more exciting.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 10 points11 points  (1 child)

You nailed it. That's Messier A, a very shallow impact crater. If they skim the surface a bit they can create elliptical craters. They are rare because it requires less than a 15° angle from the surface to create.

[–]DONT_STOP_ME_SEMEN 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That is very cool. A collision like that would have been incredible to watch when it happened.

Thank you for sharing your time, knowledge, and photos!

[–]MangoCats 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I guess there aren't too many skimmers... I remember the Jupiter strike a while back had a sequential series of glowy spots, but I guess that was the object breaking up before impact (something Jupiter is better at doing than the moon....)

[–]Noble_Flatulence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shoemaker-Levy 9

[–]Herb4372 1 point2 points  (1 child)

i've heard a good explanation of this phenomenon... early astronomers thought the craters were evidence of volcanic activity...

Essentially, when the inertia energy exceeds the potential energy holding an object together, its impact will result in the expansion of energy in all directions...

Can be easily demonstrated with s snowball... toss it gently at wall at a tangent, then pitch it hard...

[–]MangoCats 1 point2 points  (0 children)

when the inertia energy exceeds the potential energy holding an object together

That starts to make sense when I think of it as the meteor impact creating its own atmosphere on impact, diffusing/redirecting the momentum. The energy of impact is so high that the chaos resulting from initial impact is sort of like instant aero-braking.

[–]HeathenMama541 0 points1 point  (1 child)

[–]imguralbumbot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi, I'm a bot for linking direct images of albums with only 1 image

https://i.imgur.com/zofPgtn.jpg

Source | Why? | Creator | ignoreme | deletthis

[–]chewbecca108 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're fucking cool

[–]Gasvti 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good god man, every time I see one of your photos, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor. Keep it up!

[–]paxromana96 0 points1 point  (0 children)

cries in mobile

[–]gozersflattop 146 points147 points  (2 children)

This reminds me of a great quote

“Wow” - Owen Wilson

[–]Chanathebanana 6 points7 points  (1 child)

My First thought. Very Beautiful indeed

[–]ch-12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came here to say this

[–]Galadria 75 points76 points  (5 children)

Years of Redditing has me inclined to believe there is a dickbutt somewhere.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

🤫

[–]beefsoreen00 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Legit I was looking for a meme

[–]paranoidbouncer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me too

[–]San_ChickenEater -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Came to the comments hoping to see this. 😂

[–]Sarahlorien -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was expecting a send nudes somewhere.

[–]ten-tail-whale 25 points26 points  (0 children)

This made my entire day better. I find it enjoyable and I can't wait to show people. Very pleasing, thank you

[–]Grind0r 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Your shots are always AMAZING!

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you ;)

[–]catutzu 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Looks like my skin...great work though!

[–]DirtyBoyzzz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You should probably invest in some lotion

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

*cries in 720p screen*

[–]iCasmatt 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Brilliant!!! What would be the chances of a dynamic scale that adjusts to the zoom, kinda like google maps so we can see how big those craters are?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Someone better at programming than me, help this guy out ^

The moon is 2100 miles wide, and this image is 7680px wide, so one pixel is a quarter mile-ish. Hopefully that helps.

[–]macatt11 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's no moon.

[–]Arvaci 4 points5 points  (1 child)

I always love zooming in on the edge/horizon and bringing out the imperfections the craters and geography makes to what is otherwise a perfect circle in the night sky.

[–]BloodcityWa -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You

[–]inked420FTP 3 points4 points  (3 children)

Great job. I am on mobile so not the best resolution. Can you see the Apollo landing sites?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 7 points8 points  (1 child)

No, impossible from a terrestrial scope. Smallest object I can resolve is probably a mile wide.

[–]inked420FTP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still amazing! Thanks. I look forward for more!

[–]RyanSmith 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're interested, even though you won't be able to see anything, here's where they would be.

[–]Mr_Revid 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Can you stop? I don't know what to choose as my wallpaper...

[–]atquest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Found waldo!

[–]Szos 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you were looking for a sense of scale, each pixel is about 0.3 miles (about 1600 feet) wide.

[–]SCWarriors44 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I just noticed all or most of the craters seem to be head on impacts. Why are there not very many that hit from the side or at an angle?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Even angled strikes make round craters. Heat and shockwave from impacts propagate radially.

[–]SCWarriors44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would have never guessed that. I would have figured it to be more oval with a possible tail.

[–]carlovmon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's cool!

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're the Ansel Adams for outer space!

[–]souvlak_1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing picture!

[–]MF_Kitten 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hey, have you thought about using machine learning based software to reduce the blur that exists at the max zoom levels? Basically going beyond the limitations of the optics?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I use a technique called drizzle to do this.. it resolves data between the pixels! The atmosphere and the optics limit it to go much further.

[–]MF_Kitten 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooooo, tell me about drizzle, or where I can read about it!

[–]MadArchitectJMB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sweet wallpaper for my new S10. Thanks!

[–]mo191919 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a smudge on the lens ... top left an unidentifiable object.

[–]anaglich 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quite a few hidden mickeys.

[–]TotallyBarmey1985 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, thank you so much for sharing that.

[–]Rancel21342 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That dark spot totally looks like a dude screaming in pain

[–]ChewsOnRocks 1 point2 points  (2 children)

someone put a scale on it so I can get a sense of the size of the craters

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

The moon is 2100 miles across.. a pixel is a 1/3 of a mile. Hope that helps.

[–]ChewsOnRocks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that does, thanks :)

[–]Jellyfishsteve 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The image is about 7600 pixels wide, and the diameter of the moon is about 3400 kilometers. So one pixel is about 500 meters. I was curious about scale so I did a bit of math

[–]Zelpst 2 points3 points  (1 child)

From a certain angle, some people would say he looked like a smudge.

Beautiful pic.

[–]peaceluvNhippie 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's no moon

[–]nxbxp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing! Thanks for sharing :)

[–]disassemblemain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your last moon was already my wallpaper but now this gives me even more content for my wallpapers. Thank you!

[–]SplitSniper7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is unreal! Beautiful shot!

[–]groovy1337 0 points1 point  (0 children)

MY MAN! This is incredible!

I'm following you now 😉

[–]GeminiSaven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is AMAZING. Thank you for sharing.

[–]amkcontracting 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very cool. Thank you

[–]CraZyCsK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Better than any picture NASA produced EVER!

[–]Pr0t- 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the moon with stars visible in the background!

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I share a bit of info on how I pull this off in my Instagram stories if you want to check it out. This one I reprocessed the background image to make it more compatible with oled screens (the original image had no black point) so the stars aren't completely true to their position (I also added some Easter eggs in them) but on the original shot they are accurate.

[–]waldohasleftus 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Like Saturn?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No haha just little groupings that people would ask about. It entertains me when people get excited thinking they found something. 🤫

[–]MicahBurke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's that quarter I dropped! Awesome shot(s).

[–]Bjansenful3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beautiful photograph. Now to look for aliens

[–]obsequyofeden 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beautiful

[–]lampenjo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was expecting dickbutt

[–]TheWingus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zoomed in and just saw Seal's cheeks

[–]diver957 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beautiful photo, I can see the stars around it. Nice work and thanks for sharing.

[–]tankguy67 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh nice that’s pretty cool

[–]bubblehead57 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made this the background on my phone and computer.

[–]Mr_Wildcard_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oppo be like, this photo was taken by our new smartphone.

[–]T567U 0 points1 point  (0 children)

finally found a pic to replace the blue marble kudos

[–]Esketiiiit420 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's amazing

[–]intangibull 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I noticed the interior of most of the craters look very smooth. Like it's an artificial satellite of sorts

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Big ones used to fill with lava after a strike when the moon was geologically active. You can tell how old the crater is that way.

[–]DekiruMidoriya 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s insane

[–]Tossed_Away_1776 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What an incredible photo!

[–]Sylmatos 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not enough K... still can't see any moon bases.

[–]MidheLu 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Amazing. You should post this to /r/SonyAlpha as well

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The Sony was barely involved in the details of this shot though. It caught star data and earthshine only.

[–]MidheLu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh... whoops! Amazing photo though

[–]fishyfishyfish1 0 points1 point  (1 child)

No lunar rover anywhere

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lunar Rover is like 10 feet long. Smallest visible details here are around a mile wide.

[–]Sublime199709 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow!

[–]1st430N 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Set as Desktop Wallpaper :)

[–]LitAlex0426 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I have a question, how often is the moon hit by asteroids?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ones big enough to create craters visible from earth? Maybe every several hundred years. To create explosions and flashes visible from earth? Every few months. Impacts that would look like an explosion from the surface? Every few minutes. Micrometeorites? Constantly.

[–]Cascadian-J 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome!

[–]TheGruesomeTwosome 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I always struggle with the scale of pictures of the moon. That’s the diameter of the craters? e.g. this one. Am I looking at 5km or 500km?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Actually sorry, more like 50. I was confused

[–]TheGruesomeTwosome 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sweet, thanks dude

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably around 100km. Every pixel is around a quarter mile.

[–]pablocruzg 0 points1 point  (1 child)

You've made me change my screen saver twice. Keep those awesome pictures coming and I'll keep upvoting.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha, awesome!

[–]Thirsty_Comment88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the effort you put into this, it's really cool.

[–]WafflePress 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is everything ive ever wanted to see and more! Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this for us! Very much appriciated! :)

[–]dustinsweet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really, really pretty. Great Job!

[–]MikeNIke426 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's bitchin'. It gives me perspective of the universe and also reminds me WWI. Those craters must be MASSIVE tho.

[–]truememo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sooo... where is the cheese tho?

It's a awesome pic.

[–]teoS14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

zooms in as far as possible

double taps to zoom out, trying to keep my eye on the same spot

whoa

[–]Perrry86 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing.. Like a sweaty teenagers face!

[–]philipbrightbar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best picture I’ve seen today

[–]Treevvizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And it loaded instantly.

[–]TheBlackOut2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ENHANCE!

[–]Jophaaa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely amazing. Thank you for this.

[–]tommit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Instantly made this my background, awesome picture!

[–]Domundead 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This is amazing!! Do you mind if I save it and use it as my lock screen?

[–]CakeDay--Bot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

YOOOOOOOOOO!!!! It's your 4th Cakeday Domundead! hug

[–]jbraman1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow

[–]jonnyinternet 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Now I have my new lock screen

[–]Cleeford89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well done mate! Very fun

[–]felizflora 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So cool! Awesome job my friend!

[–]ogDeanster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said whoa out loud when I zoomed in. Crazy picture!

[–]DarthSeptimus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very neat!

[–]Asnen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok op where's the dickbutt i've tired looking

[–]BittenHare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's cool how you can see the sides of the dark bits slightly lit up still.

[–]MalarkyD 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People like you really make me we want to contribute to the internet. But let’s get real, I’m way to lazy and talentless. Thanks for the sweet pic!

[–]thuglanta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is cool as fuck

[–]TwitchMrcannubins 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Hey op what’s with the chemtrails over the moon?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Processing artifacts.

[–]TwitchMrcannubins 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dmd u

[–]gotwire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely stunning shot. Amazing work.

[–]ZeldaRowan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Holy shit that's amazing!! I've never seen the moon in such detail. I can't stop looking.....thank you. Thank you!

[–]intangibull 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, thank you

[–]hemlockhero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love it. Thank you.

[–]TyrannoSex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Laughs in AT&T

[–]TheCoconutCondition 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any closer and you’ll see the moon landings. Nice photo.

[–]amuku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is awesome!

[–]wakandanlepricaun 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I’ve been needing a new lock screen lately.

[–]9babydill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you !!

[–]yeah_ive_seen_that 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s beautiful.

[–]xylotism 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, those are craters.

[–]x-CrypticRose-x 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Incredible photo. Thank you.

[–]Zipfiklatscha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What does the UFO do there..

[–]czboyone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is so beautiful. Thank you.

[–]w3aponxxx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I zoomed in couldn’t see the flag. /s

[–]triplepol 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[–]michaela1970 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome

[–]HerptyDurpt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not gonna lie, this is one of the most beautiful pictures of the moon I’ve seen.

[–]Sunder15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[–]warmaderas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is incredible. Thanks for sharing! Can I use this image for fun personal web site projects?

[–]Grypha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

get any closer and youll see our footsteps. amazing photo.

[–]RingOfTheTing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

wow man thanks, for that will have some fun maybe with a wheres wally or something

[–]urbanlife78 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Now get a good shot of the other side.

[–]shitgenericusername 0 points1 point  (0 children)

what the frick

[–]TheGumOnYourShoe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn. Google Moon.

[–]YourDimeTime 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Did you take the photos in jpg or RAW?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Much of this was taken in lossless AVI, the rest in RAW

[–]ghostmech007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So yeah this is my new desktop

[–]Fresh_Wax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So many crop circles...

[–]Batcrazy27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I very much enjoy this. Thank you.

[–]Infinitewizdumb[🍰] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our guardian angel

[–]natephant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the new phone background

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They blurry.

[–]lainebrainone 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome

[–]froggejwieiddj 0 points1 point  (1 child)

In relation to earth. How close is that zoomed into the surface? Like if that was the earth would we be able to see roads and cities, or more land masses and such?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The moon is about the size of the continental United States... You would see mountain ranges and large lakes, and some city lights at night

[–]wingnut1964 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats friken awesome...no alien landing ports bummer.

[–]robert_cill_me 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Comment

[–]Srillic 0 points1 point  (2 children)

This got me thinking.... has anyone ever taken such a clear picture of the moon that you can see the flag which was left? I mean that would probably be the easiest way to debunk conspiracy theorists that say it didn't happen.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the LRO took several. Terrestrial scopes are too far away.

[–]TraylaParks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's another way to vex those conspiracy theorists, this video is pretty damn hard to refute.

[–]crouchingtiger17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great pic!!!

[–]gdlgiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very impressive image and hats off to you. Now I know where Bigfoot went after seeing tracks in the smoother areas of the surface. Also see a winged craft of some sort in one of the craters just parked there. Again, well done!

[–]roshampo13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! Thank you, this is beautiful.

[–]spacebro550 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm, doesn't look that much like cheese.

[–]Zokky1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn I can see my house!

[–]Fredw123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its flat though

[–]tbone-not-tbag 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see the MTv moon man!

[–]dexsbestguess 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Did the astronauts that landed on the moon have to worry about a meteor or asteroid plowing into them? Did they have to time their arrival precisely?

[–]ararefinding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow great photo

[–]ticklefists 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saved ty

[–]Randyh524 0 points1 point  (1 child)

What is the scale of one of tbe tiny craters? Would it be the size of a state?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The moon is 2100 miles across, so the larger ones are state sized.

[–]mysagacontinues 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Made this into my phone screen background. It is super cool!

[–]esd001 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And yet flat earthers will say this is fake.. smh

[–]BousTriple 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The crater has a crater.

[–]dschultz50 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Absolutely stunning! Though I half expected to see dickbutt in one of the craters. Internet ruined me.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So you didn't find it?

[–]HBJLR714 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saved. Awesome. Thanks.

[–]TittyWhisperer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome!!

[–]EridanusVoid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the new background

[–]toomanymarbles83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That uncompressed photo loads like a naked pic from the AOL days. My gtx 970 is starting to show some gray around the temples.

[–]ImAProfessional1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! I love this picture. Thanks for sharing.

[–]el_ghosteo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why does the moon look like it tastes delicious

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can't find the Alien Moon Bases. I was told there'd be Alien Moon Bases on the moon.

[–]youlostyourgrip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is incredible. You can see the crater in the craters.

[–]L_O_Pluto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's the full project and can you let me know once it's done? I wanna presence this magnificence

[–]pepperw2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just spent the past 45 minutes zooming in on that pic. Great job!

[–]HotPocketDisaster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do so many of the craters have "nipples" in the middle

[–]cavemanlord 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing!!

[–]GenuineSounds 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing OP. Really great picture. Do you mind if I use it for personal use? What's the license you're using?

[–]frontierleviathan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imagine how old each crater is...

[–]ItsAllOneBigNote 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are my favorite reddit user right now. This picture oozes so much fantabulousnessTM..
Great shots on your Instagram feed too, the 2019 blood moon and the nebulae are incredible.

[–]gaz0rpazorp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why there are some places which are much smoother than the rest?

[–]warwick8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you see where the Apollo moon missions landing sites on the moon if so where do I look to see them?

[–]_PhaneroN_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's great and all but Reddit always crashes when I try zooming in on a picture. And no my phone is not old/slow.

[–]StewartDawson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

B.B. 17 crater is still the biggest I’d say.

[–]WhatDoesTheFoxSay96 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who else sees the ghost in the large dark crater?

[–]Pen_Snowrose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So beautiful!! ✨😮

[–]youtrynnareadmyname 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why can’t we see the flag

[–]BillowingMachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The moon is so satisfying to look at. Thank you for all your hard work! Its gorgeous!

[–]JXNwarrior 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Beyond amazing! Thank you for allowing for the use of wallpaper, I will enjoy looking at it everyday!

[–]Pearsponge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great pic as always man! Keep up the good work

[–]nonegiven- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow amazing you can actually see the tracks form the Apollo missions and the equipment they left behind!!!!! Keep up the great work ya’ll wonderful

[–]TheRealBuzzle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love it man keep it up

[–]BroJodi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no, I lied, this one is my background

[–]geroxnight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the new wallpaper

[–]dang3rz0ne88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is pretty sick man, thank you.

[–]Mmack64 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I nutted when I saw this and I’m pretty sure it made one of those craters

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh no! Don't ruin the moon with your man mustard. I need it photo ready.

[–]Mmack64 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lmao! Man mustard is my new favorite thing to say! Also I’ll clean up my mess :/

[–]Anorexic_panda_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey guys, didn't see desktop wallpaper versions posted yet..

1440p 16x9 desktop wallpaper version

https://imgur.com/FnxARkp

1440p 18x9 desktop wallpaper version

https://imgur.com/9smQKUP

all credit goes to u/ajamesmccarthy

[–]cmp216 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, beautiful!

[–]anorexic- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone else see the reflection of earth?

[–]Bjansenful3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Had some fun with this...
Made a fake album cover using your photo

[–]Ihavemoobs 0 points1 point  (5 children)

Are you sure its not 8 pictures stitched together?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

It's actually a million pictures stitched together. Literally. Check out the original post.

[–]Ihavemoobs -1 points0 points  (3 children)

Only saying as I have had this for my back screen for about 3 weeks now its way cool..!!

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I took this image on Thursday... I don't know what your background is but it's not this one!

[–]Ihavemoobs 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I maybe mistaken but this is the same?

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nope! That is my picture though! This one I just posted is much higher resolution and is 60% illuminated instead of 44%.

[–]as7777777 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm more of an expert at exposing the moon. Try to find the one crater.

[–]c0mBaTkArL 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In all seriousness, thank you so very much for taking and sharing this photo. With other photo reference, I used it just now to teach myself the location of the Apollo 11 landing site. I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to try this before. Thanks to you, I now know precisely where the greatest event in history took place.

[–]b-tard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't like to shit on anyone's efforts, but this is just lousy work. Clearly this isn't a picture of the moon. At most it might be a quarter of the moon.

[–]MrdrBrgr 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Ive seen this several times in different spots over the last few weeks. I feel like this isn't the op, but i'm not sure.

[–]ajamesmccarthy[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I took this photo on Thursday.

[–]MrdrBrgr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hmmm.... Checked your history. These are all the ones I've been seeing!

this guy checks out!

[–]dutchkimble 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's really good! You'd get a great job at a police department...pause right there...zoom...now Enhance!

[–]Lost3991 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is fucking beautiful

[–]akkichoudhary -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're gonna break our phones and PCs by these super high resolution images of moon!! Love your work, keep it up!!

[–]n3xG -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Woah :O Judging by those craters... I would still wanna live there and be like you don't decide what I'll do Universe!!! Come at me!!!1!one1!!eins! Universe throws bigger rock

[–]Barkzey -1 points0 points  (1 child)

pHoToShOp! FaKe!

[–]SerDavosCrabman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are the subhuman filth who defended Fraser Anning.