China’s Chang’e-4 Moon rover, Yutu-2, has been taking pictures of the far side of the Moon of its discoveries and travels. The China National Space Administration last released amazingly detailed photos in January 2020. According to SpaceNews’ long-time correspondent for China’s space industry Andrew Jones (https://www.space.com/china-moon-far-side-photos-yutu-2-rover.html), the new images include a stunning panoramic view of the portion of the Von Kármán crater in which it landed. The Chinese mission team has transformed these images into 3D by using software. The panoramic image shows a stark landscape of smaller craters, numerous rocks and boulders, and the rim of the Von Kármán crater in the far distance. The Von Kármán crater lies in the southern hemisphere on the dark side of the Moon, and is about 180 km (110 miles) wide.
The Chang’e-4 mission, which includes both a lander and a rover, made the first-ever touchdown on the far side of the Moon on Jan. 3, 2019, and began its 24th lunar day on Nov. 9. A “day” on the Moon is about two weeks on Earth; the two spacecraft hibernate during the lunar night.
