Lot no. 207
207. [Apollo 10] DRAMATIC LUNAR HORIZON OVER FARSIDE CRATERS HEAVISIDE AND KEELER
Eugene Cernan, May 18-26, 1969
Printed 1969.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [NASA image AS10-33-4957].
Numbered "NASA AS10-33-4957" in black in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas).
20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Historical context
This striking Apollo 10 photograph presents a dramatic oblique view of the Moon's rugged far side terrain (11.9° S / 162.9° E), featuring the heavily cratered landscape near the 160-km-wide craters Heaviside (left) and Keeler (right). It captures the stark, untouched nature of the lunar surface—a world shaped solely by impacts over billions of years.
Eugene Cernan took this image on orbit 27 using an 80mm lens, just before his Hasselblad camera malfunctioned. The low Sun angle near the lunar terminator casts long shadows, accentuating the topography and revealing intricate crater details.
In the foreground, numerous impact craters of varying sizes are sharply defined by the interplay of light and shadow. The gently curving horizon against the vast blackness of space serves as a stark reminder of the Moon's airless, desolate expanse.
Pictures credits: Contact organization
Photographs and film
About the sale04/28/2025
Catalog
FOR ALL MANKIND THE ARTISTIC LEGACY OF EARLY SPACE EXPLORATION: Victor Martin-Malburet Collection
75008 Paris - France