Here’s a Stunning 4K Tour of the Moon

NASA has released a new eye-popping virtual tour of the moon in 4K resolution using imagery and data gathered by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft since 2009.

The journey visits a number of notable features on the moon’s surface, selected to show the diversity of features found on the lunar terrain.

“Some are on the near side and are familiar to both professional and amateur observers on Earth, while others can only be seen clearly from space,” NASA writes. “Some are large and old (Orientale, South Pole-Aitken), others are smaller and younger (Tycho, Aristarchus).

“Constantly shadowed areas near the poles are hard to photograph but easier to measure with altimetry, while several of the Apollo landing sites, all relatively near the equator, have been imaged at resolutions as high as 25 centimeters (10 inches) per pixel.”

This latest 4K experience is a followup/redux of the original “Tour of the Moon” video released back in 2011. The camera follows the same paths, just with much clearer imagery.