In October 2023, the Psyche spacecraft, launched by NASA to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, obtained a unique image of the Earth and the Moon from deep space. The probe recorded them from a distance of approximately 290 million kilometers.
In July, the mission team tested the spacecraft’s cameras and gained confidence in their ability to capture objects that reflect sunlight. As the target of the exercise, our planet was chosen. In the image it appears as a small dot against the background of the constellation Aries, yet it stands out. In addition, a little higher, the faint Moon can also be seen.
This frame recalls the legendary “Pale Blue Dot,” taken in 1990 by Voyager 1 from a distance of 6 billion kilometers. These parallel frames once again make one feel the vast distances in the universe and how delicate our home is.
The main goal of the mission is to study the asteroid Psyche, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists assume that the object may be an ancient protoplanetary core from which the planets of the Solar System formed.
Its diameter is approximately 280 kilometers, and it orbits in the outer part of the main asteroid belt. The spacecraft must travel about 3.54 billion kilometers before reaching its target in July 2029.
The probe is equipped with cameras capable of recording both visible and infrared light. These technologies will make it possible to study Psyche’s composition and obtain fundamental information about the formation of planets’ metallic cores.
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