Clementine Observes the Moon, Solar Corona, and Venus In 1994, during its
flight, the Clementine spacecraft returned images of the Moon. In addition to
the geologic mapping cameras, the Clementine spacecraft also carried two Star
Tracker cameras for navigation. These lightweight (0.3 kg) cameras kept the
spacecraft on track by constantly observing the positions of stars, reminiscent
of the age-old seafaring tradition of sextant/star navigation.
These navigation cameras were also to take some spectacular wide angle images of
the Moon.
In this picture the Moon is seen illuminated solely by light reflected from the
Earth--Earthshine! The bright glow on the lunar horizon is caused by light from
the solar corona; the sun is just behind the lunar limb. Caught in this image is
the planet Venus at the top of the frame.
