South Korea's lunar orbiter Danuri shares STUNNING black-and-white photos of ... trends now

It has been 55 years since Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders snapped an iconic image that would change humanity's perception of our world forever.

Known as 'Earthrise', it captured the planet's tender blue colour as it floats against the backdrop of the eternal night of space.

Now, South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter has done its best to emulate Earthrise with a series of stunning black-and-white photos of the Earth and moon.

Danuri – a portmanteau of the Korean words for 'moon' and 'enjoy' – was launched on a SpaceX rocket from the US in August 2022 and entered lunar orbit last month.

Ever since then it has been sending back breathtaking images of both our planet and the lunar surface, including these ones here that were posted to the Korean Aerospace Research Institute website.

The pictures include a variety of lunar landscapes and a snapshot of an enormous Earth rising over the moon's horizon.

There is also a time-lapse image of the moon's orbit around Earth taken over several hours.

Danuri will begin its scientific mission next month, which includes mapping and analysing lunar terrain, and measuring magnetic strength and gamma rays.

The $180 million (£148 million) orbiter will also test experimental 'space internet' technology by transmitting photos and videos to Earth, which will then be used to select potential sites for a South Korean moon landing in 2032.

On its way to lunar orbit, Danuri captured the moon's procession around Earth once a day for an entire month, beginning on September 15.

Ten days later it then took 15 pictures over the course of about three hours, resulting in a fascinating composite image. 

The spacecraft

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