NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 10, 2026 presented a sharp mosaic centered on the Moon's far side, assembled from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's wide-angle camera. The image is part of a global mosaic of over 15,000 images acquired between November 2009 and February 2011; its highest-resolution version shows features at a scale of 100 meters per pixel.

Because the Moon is tidally locked in synchronous rotation, it always shows Earth its familiar near side, but views from lunar orbit make the far side familiar as well. The far side's rough, battered surface looks very different from the near side, which is covered with smooth dark maria. A likely explanation, according to the accompanying description, is that the far side's crust is thicker, making it harder for molten material from the interior to reach the surface and form dark, smooth maria.

The image was credited to NASA, the Goddard Space Flight Center, Arizona State University and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.