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Lot 121
[Lunar Orbiter II] THE PICTURE OF THE CENTURY: bird's eye view into the heart of Crater Copernicus NASA, 24 November 1966
14 – 28 April 2025, 12:00 CEST
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €1,088 inc. premium
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[Lunar Orbiter II] THE PICTURE OF THE CENTURY: bird's eye view into the heart of Crater Copernicus
NASA, 24 November 1966
Printed 1966.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [partial view of NASA image LRC II-162H2, H3].
With NASA caption numbered "66-H-1470" on the reverse (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.).
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.)
Historical context
This breathtaking view, one of Lunar Orbiter II's most iconic achievements, marked a pivotal moment in humanity's understanding of the Moon. The Moon transformed from a distant object in the night sky to a dramatic world awaiting exploration. Taken with the spacecraft's 610mm high-resolution telephoto lens, this historic photograph was hailed as "The Picture of the Century" upon its release, leaving millions in awe.
"On first seeing this oblique view of the crater Copernicus, I was awed by the sudden realization that this prominent lunar feature I have often viewed by telescope is a landscape of real mountains and valleys, obviously fashioned by tremendous forces of nature."
— Oran Nicks, NASA Office of Space Flights and Applications (Cortright, p. 88)
Printed 1966.
Vintage gelatin silver print on fibre-based paper [partial view of NASA image LRC II-162H2, H3].
With NASA caption numbered "66-H-1470" on the reverse (issued by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.).
25.4 x 20.3 cm. (10 x 8 in.)
Historical context
This breathtaking view, one of Lunar Orbiter II's most iconic achievements, marked a pivotal moment in humanity's understanding of the Moon. The Moon transformed from a distant object in the night sky to a dramatic world awaiting exploration. Taken with the spacecraft's 610mm high-resolution telephoto lens, this historic photograph was hailed as "The Picture of the Century" upon its release, leaving millions in awe.
"On first seeing this oblique view of the crater Copernicus, I was awed by the sudden realization that this prominent lunar feature I have often viewed by telescope is a landscape of real mountains and valleys, obviously fashioned by tremendous forces of nature."
— Oran Nicks, NASA Office of Space Flights and Applications (Cortright, p. 88)
Footnotes
For those accustomed to static, Earth-based telescopic views of the crater Copernicus, this oblique perspective revealed a striking lunar landscape of rolling mountains, sweeping palisades, and tumbling landslides. The crater Copernicus, about 60 miles in diameter and 2 miles deep, features 3,000-foot cliffs and central peaks forming a mountain range roughly 10 miles long and 2,000 feet high. Lunar Orbiter II captured this extraordinary image (NASA LRC high resolution resolution frame II-162H3) on November 28, 1966, from an altitude of 28.4 miles while 150 miles south of the crater.
The central peaks rise as high as 1.2 km above the crater floor and stretch for about 15 km, while the northern wall looms in the background. Shadows cast by the Sun, approximately 10 degrees above the horizon, highlight the crater's rugged terrain, including numerous mounds scattered across its floor.
Literature
LIFE, 9 December 1966, pp. 50-51
TIME, 9 December 1966, pp. 50-51
Exploring Space with a Camera (NASA SP-168), Cortright, ed., p. 89
Moon: Man's Greatest Adventure, Thomas, ed., pp. 134-135
Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, Reynolds, pp. 56-57
Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350), Cortright, ed., chapter 5.5
Watch more
CLICK HERE: Assignment, Shoot the Moon (1967)
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