"Matt Giwer" <jul### [at] ijnet> wrote in message news:3A3EA778.48B6BA0D@ij.net...
> Spock wrote:
> >
> > I hate to keep beating on this point, but I still think the geometry is
> > confused.
>
> First off, as I have posted here, my geometry is faked for earth and
> moon as the separation is 1/10th real. Real distances and screen pixel
> pixels just don't mix. That may also explain why NASA has produced so
> few pictures of the two in the same image.

Yep, the photo needs a long focal length similar to a telescope; or a telephoto
camera lens, as you probably know, in order to see both Moon and Earth at
relative sizes.  Almost like orthogonal view in POV-Ray or at least a small
'angle' in the perspective camera.
The well-known picture made by of the Galileo spacecraft was taken from about
15 X the Earth/Moon distance.  Voyager took one from almost twice as far away,
and NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft) photographed them looking
toward the south poles so they were at the same distance but from only about
the Earth/Moon distance away.
Pictures and text I've found and read :-) on those are here:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-earthmoon.html

Bob H.

Post a reply to this message