NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) recently captured images of a peculiar surfboard-shaped object gliding past the moon. However, this sighting wasn’t evidence of extraterrestrial activity. Instead, it was South Korea’s lunar orbiter, Danuri, making its rounds in lunar orbit. The LRO, stationed nearby, managed to photograph the event as the two spacecraft traversed parallel orbits around the moon from March 5 to 6.
The swift nature of the encounter posed a challenge for LRO’s camera, which has an exposure time of only 0.338 milliseconds. Despite this, the camera still successfully captured images of Danuri, which became the first Korean spacecraft to enter lunar orbit in December 2022. However, due to the considerable speed difference between the two spacecraft—roughly 7,200 mph (11,500 km/h)—the resulting images depict Danuri stretched to about ten times its actual size, resembling a flattened surfboard.
In reality, Danuri is a box-shaped spacecraft equipped with solar panels on each side, and its appearance is not akin to a surfboard. Nevertheless, the elongated image led to playful comparisons, with some likening Danuri to Silver Surfer, a fictional character from the Marvel Universe.
This incident highlights the precision and ingenuity required in capturing such fleeting celestial events and showcases the collaborative efforts of international space missions in exploring the moon and beyond.
