Unseen Images Of The Moon Landing

1. Earthrise

Image Source/ NASA

This photo shows the Earth rising above the moon's surface. It was captured by the crew as they made their return journey back to Earth and is the first of several photos capturing this once in a lifetime moment. The 'Earthrise' is not something you see every day.

2. The shadow of Armstrong

Image Source/ NASA

Neil Armstrong took this photograph at Tranquility Base. It shows the Lunar Module parked on the surface of the moon and you can see his shadow photobombing his own picture down in the left hand corner. Although, we think it makes the picture look a lot more creative.

3. Buzz about to take his first step

Image Source/ The Atlantic

Armstrong took this picture of Buzz Aldrin as he made his way down the steps of the Lunar Module. He is seconds away from taking his first, small step on to the surface of the moon and becoming the second man to walk on the moon as he joins his friend and colleague.

4. Buzz making his mark

Image Source/ National Geographic

Buzz captured this picture showing the footprints he was making on the surface of the moon. You can see his big space boot but it also gives us an idea what the surface of the moon was actually like. It looks a bit like he is walking on sand, but I don't think it's like the beaches we are used to!

5. The Lunar Module

Image Source/ NARS and DVIDS

This amazing picture, taken from the lunar surface, shows the Lunar Module in all its glory and you can just see the Earth far, far away in the background. It really makes you realise just how far from home the astronauts were! The Earth looks tiny in comparison.

6. Apollo 11 clearing the tower

Image Source/ Gizmodo

This picture was taken at the launch of the Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket. It was taken just before the rocket cleared the launch tower. This famous launch took place on July 16th 1969 at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. You can see just how many people were there to watch this historic moment.

7. Ground controllers looking anxious

Image Source/ NBC News

This photo shows some of the important men behind the scenes of the Apollo 11 mission. The ground control crew can be seen looking particularly anxious as an error code was ringing out during the mission. In the middle is backup Commander Jim Lovell, who would later take part in the famous Apollo 13 mission.

8. On their way home

Image Source/ Gizmodo

The Apollo 11 crew managed to capture this photograph as they heading home. It's a glorious view of Earth that very few people will ever get to see. What a surreal moment it must have been for the three astronauts as they were approaching the end of their mission.

9. Recovering the Command Module

Image Source/ Air and Space

The Command Module landed in the sea when it returned from the Apollo 11 mission. Navy divers attached a flotation ring, before it was hoisted on to the deck of the U.S.S Hornet on July 24th. The flotation ring was then removed once it was safely on deck.

10. Footprints on the moon

Image Source/ NASA

Neil Armstrong is the one took this picture from the window of the Lunar Module. You can see the assortment of footprints he and Buzz made during their historic adventure. They definitely did a lot of exploring if these footprints are anything to go off!

11. Michael Collins the camera man

Image Source/ Gizmodo

Michael Collins was the pilot for the Apollo 11 mission and he remained inside the Command Module while the other two astronauts went to the lunar surface. He never walked on the moon during this mission. You can see him here holding a TV camera getting some great footage of his surroundings.

12. Armstrong in the connecting tunnel

Image Source/ Audacy

There was a tunnel that connected the Lunar Module to the Command Module. You can see Neil Armstrong here travelling through the tunnel. Look how cramped it is! He is looking at an extra TV monitor that was attached to the outside camera. Previous Apollo missions didn't have this.

13. The surface of the moon

Image Source/ NBC News

This photo is just one of the many photographs taken of the lunar surface. You can see in great detail the unique texture. It looks very rough on this picture but we know from later pictures that is actually quite sand like. It's also covered in craters meaning the surface isn't a smooth landing site.

14. A view of Earth

Image Source/ The Mirror

This incredible picture taken on their return home shows the Earth during a Trans Earth Coast. This picture actually shows the shorelines of Somalia as the sun is rising. How amazing to see this in real life! I bet pictures don't do a view like this justice.

15. The historic descent onto the moon

Image Source/ Gizmodo

The landing site for the Lunar Module was planned with meticulous precision. This picture was taken from the Command Module as the Lunar Module was descending to the surface. The exact landing site is right in the centre of this photo, in the middle of all the craters.

16. Buzz hard at work

Image Source/ NASA

Once they had successfully descended on to the moon, the astronauts got to work straight away. Here you can see Buzz Aldrin using a seismograph. This equipment is used to study the movement of the ground on the moon and can detect 'moonquakes'. This device was left on the moon to continue recording data after the astronauts had left.

17. Tranquility Base

Image Source/ DVIDS

Neil Armstrong captures this view from his window just as they landed on the moon. It was taken quickly so they at least had some footage if things didn't go to plan and they had to abandon the mission. Luckily, this didn't happen as this exact location became known as Tranquility Base.

18. Released from quarantine

Image Source/ Twitter

When the three astronauts returned to Earth they were contained within a quarantine for 21 days as a precautionary measure. This meant that they couldn't see family or friends for a further 21 days after they landed. This picture shows the moment they were all reunited with their loved ones.

19. The 'Eagle'

Image Source/ The Mirror

The Lunar Module was nicknamed 'Eagle' and is pictured here beautifully. This photo was apparently taken by accident by Michael Collins after the Eagle had detached from the Command Module, nicknamed 'Columbia', carrying Armstrong and Aldrin on their way to the moon.

20. The checklist for landing

Image Source/ NASA History Division

This is just one of the sixty eight pages making up the LM Lunar Surface Checklist. The whole document is dedicated to the procedure leading up to the historic first steps on the moon. They couldn't afford for a single thing to go wrong so it had to be followed to the letter.

21. The first photo taken on the moon

Image Source/ Gizmodo

This picture is actually the first photo taken by a human on the moon. It shows the jettison bag on the surface of the moon next to the Lunar Module. The pictures of Armstrong taking his first steps were actually taken by a camera mounted on to the Lunar Module.

22. A rare colour picture

Image Source/ Gizmodo

Only a few of the pictures taken on this mission are in good quality colour. The Hasselblad 500 EL camera was the camera of choice for this as it took great colour photos and was capable of functioning in the vacuum of space, which a lot of other cameras could not do.

23. The Lunar Module footpad

Image Source/ Air and Space

A close up picture of one of the Lunar Module's footpads. These were planted firmly on the lunar surface to keep the Module steady. As we know, the surface was full of craters to specific planning and specialist manoeuvring was needed to land the Lunar Module successfully.

24. Astronaut's heart rate monitors

Image Source/ NASA

This picture shows graphs from the heart rate monitors of both Neil and Buzz while they were on the surface of the moon. They were completing their task of documenting and collecting samples from the surface. Neil's heart rate spikes a lot when he is transferring these precious materials.

25. Time for a selfie

Image Source/ Gizmodo

This is a photo of Buzz Aldrin in his 'Snoopy' cap. It was taken just after they had returned to the Lunar Module after a successful mission. You can see the bright lights being reflected off the moon's surface through the window, not making it an easy picture to capture.

26. Not his best attempt

Image Source/ Gizmodo

Apparently still figuring out how to use the camera properly, Buzz Aldrin captured this blurry picture of the US flag planted at Tranquility Base. With the camera set to close range, he did however get a very crisp view of the control system equipment. Not quite the picture he was after, but does actually look quite good!

27. Precious cargo

Image Source/ Gizmodo

This picture shows one of the two Apollo 11 sample containers arriving at Ellington Air Force Base after being recovered from the Command Module. It is full of surface material that will go on to be extensively examined and tested by scientists.

28. Solar Corona

Image Source/ The Mirror

This image was taken from the Command and Service Module while it was on an orbit around the moon. A solar corona is the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere and is only really visible during a total solar eclipse, unless you have specialist equipment.

29. Crater 304

Image Source/ The Mirror

This photo of Crater 304, officially named Stratton, was taken from the Command and Service Module as it travelled around the back side of the moon. The impressive crater became a favourite amongst everyone involved in the Apollo 11 mission. What a surreal picture.

30. Lunar Module's ascent

Image Source/ Smithsonian

The images of the Lunar Module making its ascent back to the Command Module clearly show the Earth in the background and are probably some of the most amazing images to come out of the whole mission. We live on that tiny speck in the distance of this vast universe.

31. Amazing unseen images from outer space: the moon from a different perspective

image source: edition.cnn.com

It's amazing how dim the moon looks when you're actually in outer space compared to how bright it looks through our windows at night. It's overshadowed by that luminous glow from the earth's outer surface. This image was captured by the International Space Station.

32. Jupiter and its many, many moons

image source: edition.cnn.com

And of course there's more than one moon in the sky. The planet Jupiter is known for its own collection of moons - thousands, in fact - and here you can actually see one of the biggest of its moons, Ganymede, casting a shadow on the planet to the left. Looks like a marble, doesn't it!

33. Just a great ball of fire

image source: edition.cnn.com

If you needed another reminder to put sun screen on, here it is! This amazing photo captures the sun - which is actually a star - glowing bright in ultra-violet light in the sky. This incredible shot was captured by the Solar Orbiter, letting us see some intricate details of the sun's outer surface!

34. Let me take a selfie

image source: edition.cnn.com

The InSight Lander was a nifty little invention that let us explore a little more into the planet Mars - and even though it was completely off our own planet, it still knew the importance of selfies! Here it is taken its very last selfie from the surface of the planet Mars.

35. Debris left on Mars

image source: edition.cnn.com

As much as space exploration is amazing and allowed us to discover new facts about the universe, you have to feel bad about debris like this just left out on planets. Sort of like when tourists leave behind their food wrapping and then go home. This debris is from the stuff that helped land the Perseverance rover on Mars.

36. The first black woman to join the Space Station crew!

image source: edition.cnn.com

An incredible shot for an incredible moment in history - no filters here! This NASA astronaut is Jessica Watkins, pictured inside the International Space Station, where you can see planet earth behind her through the window. She's the first black woman to join the crew of the Space Station.

37. It's supposed to be blurred, we promise!

image source: edition.cnn.com

So you can't capture a HD image every single time, but it's still a pretty incredible image from out of space when you realize what you're looking at! This shot is of a supermassive black hole (the kind Muse sang about), which is actually the very first image captured of one at the center of the Milky Way.

38. This amazing spiral galaxy

image source: edition.cnn.com

We've all seen artwork and cool HD computer backgrounds of galaxies, but here's an actual shot of one from outer space, showing this incredible spiral formation that shows arms looping around the galaxy itself. This shot was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope!

39. Frozen water in space

image source: edition.cnn.com

This might look like a very weird zoom-in of somebody's skin, but actually, this is a very real photo showing a very real surface of a planet - Mars, to be exact. This shot shows the surface of Mars which includes frozen water that results in this mesmerising split ground pattern!

40. Wind patterns in space

image source: edition.cnn.com

At first glance, it's not obvious what you're looking at here - which is why it's more incredible with the level of detail! This is actually the planet Jupiter, and the shot shows the north pole of the planet which reveals these interesting spiral patterns that are actually wind patterns from storms!

41. The aftermath of a rocket take off

image source: edition.cnn.com

We know how exciting it is when there's a big space event with a rocket launching - but all the focus is always on the spacecraft itself. Here's what it looks like after a rocket takes off, and what's left behind! This amazing beam of light is photographed at Kennedy Space Center.

42. When two galaxies bump into each other

image source: edition.cnn.com

Did you know that galaxies can actually do that? This photo reveals two galaxies that have collided with each other - and this process will actually result in them bonding and becoming one big galaxy. But that process actually takes a whopping 500 million years!

43. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft

image source: edition.cnn.com

Another shot from the Kennedy Space Center, here we can see an actual rocket taking off instead of the aftermath this time - and this one is the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft taking off for the mission that would go down in history as the Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station.

44. Like something out of Marvel

image source: edition.cnn.com

It just doesn't look real, does it? This stunning shot that's likely your new phone background is actually a space photo of a piece of the Vela supernova, which is here shown in pink and orange gas clouds. The beautiful tragedy of this photo is it shows what's left after the star died!

45. Rocket side boosters touch back down!

image source: edition.cnn.com

Rockets need side boosters to take off, of course, but then they need to dump them as soon as they get high enough. The rockets need to get back down somehow, and here you can see them on their bump ride back down after they separated from the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket!

46. The last photo taken on Mars

image source: edition.cnn.com

This photo was officially released by NASA, to show the very last photo taken from the surface of Mars and its exploration. The mission to Mars by the Mars InSight lander came to an official end after they lost contact with the lander - which makes this photo a bit haunting, really, doesn't it?

47. It doesn't look real, does it?

image source: insider.com

This definitely looks like some AI-generated artwork, doesn't it? But this is a very real photograph taken by that famous telescope, the Hubble. This shot shows the Bubble Nebula, which is around 8,000 light-years away from our planet. Nebulas are massive clouds of gas and dust.

48. The center of our galaxy!

image source: insider.com

Have you ever wondered what the very center of the galaxy we live in looks like? Well here it is! This is the middle of the Milky Way - our galaxy - and it took special infrared and x-rays to get through the dust to take one of the most detailed shots of the inside of the galaxy's core!

49. This beautiful galaxy that looks like a rose

image source: insider.com

Almost perfectly shaped like the folded petals of a flower, there is actually a reason why the top, larger galaxy has been made into the shape of a rose. Those arcs and whirls have actually happened because of the gravitational pull of the smaller galaxy you can see beneath it!

50. This weird pillar of gas

image source: insider.com

What do you see? A face? A monkey? An elephant's trunk? It's like cloud-spotting, isn't it? This huge, orange cloud of gas - known as a 'pillar' - is here pictured at the very edge of the Carina Nebula, photographed by the Hubble telescope. This orange pillar is a cloud of hot gas and dust.