The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has just released a 3D image of the Moon’s surface. They did this shortly after announcing that the Vikram Lander had been put into sleep mode.
The image is a special kind called an “anaglyph.” It combines two pictures taken by the Pragyan Rover on the Moon’s south pole. One picture goes in the red channel, and the other in the blue and green channels, creating a cool cyan color.
This 3D effect makes things look like they have three dimensions, and you can see it best using red and cyan glasses.
The NavCam, used for taking these pictures, was made by LEOS/ISRO, and the data processing was done by SAC/ISRO.
It’s interesting to note that ISRO shared these images shortly after telling us that the Vikram Lander went to sleep. They’ve turned off the instruments on the lander, and they expect it to wake up around September 22.
This achievement comes after India successfully landed the Chandrayaan-3 lander module on the Moon’s South Pole on August 23. India is now the fourth country, after the US, China, and Russia, to successfully land on the Moon’s surface.