At first glance, you will be forgiven for mistaking these recordings with a scene from the latest science fiction.
But it is very real and wise in dramatic detail how much the moon ‘wobbles’ in the sky during each 27-day orbit.
The lunar photographer Andrew McCarthy spent hundreds of hours over 22 consecutive nights, taking thousands of photographs of the moon as it faded and then fading through almost a full orbit.
While the ‘wobble’, known as libration, is a well-known phenomenon, the incredible imagery shows just how much the moon changes angle as it rotates.
“The moon always holds the same face for us, but not exactly the same face. “Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the moon for a month from slightly different angles,” NASA explains.
‘When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, our moon seems to change as if it is shaking. This pendulum is called libration, from the scales, the scale. ‘
Mr. McCarthy, based in California, USA, wanted to show for the first time the exact movement of the moon in the sky during a lunar month.
He said he was shocked to see up close how much the moon changes angle when it rotates.
His 40-second video clip, which consists of thousands of images carefully aimed at each other, appears to show the moon ‘winding’ a bit as it orbits, which McCarthy describes as a ‘cosmic dance’.
The shift also allows observers to see many of the moon’s craters from different angles and in different lights.
McCarthy posted the video on his Instagram, writing: ‘Over the past month, I’ve been working on my biggest project so far – an attempt to really show the unmistakable spherical nature of the moon.
‘By taking a high resolution of the moon every night for 22 days, I captured the’ libration ‘, which is the apparent pendulum of our moon.
In an eternal cosmic dance, this small wobble is caused by the angle of the moon’s elliptical orbit and the position of the observer.
‘The moon does not actually waver, it just orbits.
Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see the moon from the earth in slightly different angles over the course of a month.
When a month is compressed into 24 seconds, as in Andrew’s video, our changing view of the Moon makes it seem shaky
‘The side we see, however, shifts a bit because the orbit is sloping and elliptical, so you can see a few other sides depending on where it is in the air relative to the observer.
“I’ve also zoomed in on some of my favorite features, where the depth really comes to life.”
Andrew added that this was his most challenging project so far, saying: ‘I ever wanted to realize that I had come across astrophotography.
‘The challenge is to have enough clear nights in a row to pick it up.
‘Some evenings, when the conditions were ideal, I could get it done within thirty minutes, other nights I spent hours waiting to improve.
‘Vibration is a well-known phenomenon, but I did not realize how dramatic the difference would be.
Lunar photographer Andrew McCarthy spent 22 consecutive nights hundreds of hours taking thousands of photos of the moon as it faded and then fading through almost a full orbit.
Every final image it made in Andrew’s short video clip is actually a mosaic composed of hundreds of photographs – to get past any atmospheric ‘turbulence’ that could distort an image.
‘Many features, such as the Clavius crater, change the angle completely as the moon turns it away from the observer.
“It really adds depth to these features that I did not expect.”
Each final image it made in Andrew’s short video clip is actually a mosaic composed of hundreds of photographs – to get past any atmospheric ‘turbulence’ that could distort the image.
Andrew said: ‘It took hundreds of hours to complete millions of frames and terabytes of data.
Mr. McCarthy said: ‘The work behind each frame was already great, so to align each picture and create a smooth animation that the level of detail I wanted was a test of patience’
While the ‘wobble’ is a well-known phenomenon, the incredible footage shows just how much the moon changes angle as it rotates
‘The work behind each frame was already great, so to align each picture and create an animation that was smooth and the level of detail I wanted was a test of patience.
‘My favorite phases are mostly on the waning side of the moon, which is also the hardest to capture.
“The stark contrast in the few complex prominent craters such as Aristarchus and Copernicus with the smooth Mary makes for a beautiful composition.”
SCIENTISTS DON’T AGREE ON HOW THE MOON SHAPES, BUT MANY BELIEVE IT IS THE RESULT OF AN IMPACT BETWEEN EARTH AND ANOTHER PLANET
Many scientists believe that the moon formed after the earth was hit billions of years ago by a planet as large as Mars.
This is called the giant impact hypothesis.
The theory suggests that the moon is made up of debris that remains after 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, the mother of Selene, the goddess of the moon.
Many scientists believe that the moon formed after the earth was hit billions of years ago by a planet as large as Mars. This is called the giant impact hypothesis
But one mystery persisted, brought back by rocks from the moon by Apollo astronauts: Why do the moon and the earth look so much alike in their composition?
Various theories have emerged over the years to explain the similar fingerprints of the earth and the moon.
Perhaps the impact created a large cloud of debris that mixed thoroughly with the earth and later converged to form the moon.
Or Theia might have looked chemically like the young earth.
A third possibility is that the moon formed from Earth materials, rather than from Theia, although this would have been a very unusual impact.