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Just a bunch of beautiful shots of our closest celestial neighbor

caption: Moon above Larch Lake in Washington's Chiwaukum Range.
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Moon above Larch Lake in Washington's Chiwaukum Range.
KUOW Photo/Gil Aegerter

July 20, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Geek out with us!

caption: Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon B. Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11.
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Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon B. Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11.
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)
caption: In this July 16, 1969 photo provided by NASA, JoAnn Morgan watches from the launch firing room during the launch of Apollo 11 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Morgan, who worked on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, went on to become the Kennedy Space Center's first female senior executive. She retired in 2003.
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In this July 16, 1969 photo provided by NASA, JoAnn Morgan watches from the launch firing room during the launch of Apollo 11 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Morgan, who worked on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, went on to become the Kennedy Space Center's first female senior executive. She retired in 2003.
NASA via AP


Apollo 11, carrying astronauts Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, launched on July 16, 1969 at 9:32 a.m. from the Kennedy Space Center.

The lunar module Eagle landed on the moon four days later. Armstrong and Aldrin stepped out on the surface six hours later. What a wait that must have been.

caption: This frame from the 16-mm camera mounted in the Lunar Module window shows Neil Armstrong (left) and Buzz Aldrin (right) deploying the U.S. Flag.
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This frame from the 16-mm camera mounted in the Lunar Module window shows Neil Armstrong (left) and Buzz Aldrin (right) deploying the U.S. Flag.
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)
caption: The moon showing at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles the border between Wyoming and Montana.
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The moon showing at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, which straddles the border between Wyoming and Montana.
KUOW Photo/Kara McDermott


President Richard Nixon called Aldrin and Armstrong while they were on the moon at 11:49 p.m. from the White House.

Here's an excerpt, courtesy of the American Presidency Project:

Nixon: "For every American this has to be the proudest day of our lives, and for people all over the world I am sure that they, too, join with Americans in recognizing what an immense feat this is.

"Because of what you have done the heavens have become a part of man's world, and as you talk to us from the Sea of Tranquility, it inspires us to redouble our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to earth.

"For one priceless moment in the whole history of man all the people on this earth are truly one--one in their pride in what you have done and one in our prayers that you will return safely to earth."

Armstrong: "Thank you, Mr. President. It is a great honor and privilege for us to be here representing not only the United States, but men of peaceable nations, men with an interest and a curiosity, and men with a vision for the future.

"It is an honor for us to be able to participate here today."

caption: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin deploys a solar wind collector, a foil sheet pointing at the sun, on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.
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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin deploys a solar wind collector, a foil sheet pointing at the sun, on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969.
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)
caption: This composite image details the progression of a total solar eclipse on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, that directly passed over the National Science Foundation’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
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This composite image details the progression of a total solar eclipse on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, that directly passed over the National Science Foundation’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory.
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)
caption: The lunar farside
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The lunar farside
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)

The same side of of the moon always faces the earth.

We didn't know what the other side looked liked until 1959 (10 years before the moon landing) when the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft captured the first images.

That's why the farside has Russian names for prominent features, like Mare Moscoviense ("Sea of Mosco"). ⁠

caption: The moon over northeast Greenland during in March 2014 when a team of scientists were conducting an aerial survey of polar ice.
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The moon over northeast Greenland during in March 2014 when a team of scientists were conducting an aerial survey of polar ice.
Flickr Photo/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (CC BY 2.0)
caption: This detail of a July 20, 1969, photo made available by NASA shows astronaut Neil Armstrong reflected in the helmet visor of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon.
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This detail of a July 20, 1969, photo made available by NASA shows astronaut Neil Armstrong reflected in the helmet visor of Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the moon.
Government handout, via AP

Want more? Seattle's Museum of Flight has an exhibit about Apollo 11 called Destination Moon through September 2.

It features the command module Columbia and Seattle is the exhibit's only West Coast stop on a two-year tour.

caption: Blood moon.
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Blood moon.
KUOW Photo/Gil Aegerter
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