Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 January 17 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Apollo 14: A View from Antares Image Credit: Edgar Mitchell, [3]Apollo 14, [4]NASA; Mosaic - [5]Eric M. Jones Explanation: Apollo 14's Lunar Module Antares [6]landed on the Moon on February 5, 1971. Toward the end of the stay astronaut [7]Ed Mitchell snapped [8]a series of photos of the lunar surface while looking out a window, [9]assembled into this detailed mosaic by [10]Apollo Lunar Surface Journal editor Eric Jones. The view looks across the [11]Fra Mauro highlands to the northwest of the landing site after the Apollo 14 astronauts had completed their second and final [12]walk on the Moon. Prominent in the foreground is their Modular Equipment Transporter, a two-wheeled, rickshaw-like device used to carry tools and samples. Near the horizon at top center is a 1.5 meter wide boulder dubbed Turtle rock. In the shallow crater below Turtle rock is the long white handle of a sampling instrument, thrown there javelin-style by Mitchell. Mitchell's fellow moonwalker and first American in space, [13]Alan Shepard, also used a makeshift six iron to hit [14]two golf balls. One of Shepard's golf balls is just visible as a white spot [15]below Mitchell's javelin. Tomorrow's picture: infrared Jupiter __________________________________________________________________ [16]< | [17]Archive | [18]Submissions | [19]Index | [20]Search | [21]Calendar | [22]RSS | [23]Education | [24]About APOD | [25]Discuss | [26]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [27]Robert Nemiroff ([28]MTU) & [29]Jerry Bonnell ([30]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [31]Specific rights apply. [32]NASA Web Privacy, [33]Accessibility, [34]Notices; A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC, [38]NASA Science Activation & [39]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2601/a14pan9335-43emj.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-14/ 4. https://www.nasa.gov/ 5. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ 6. https://www.nasa.gov/history/50-years-ago-apollo-14-lands-at-fra-mauro/ 7. http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/A14Mitchell-FlownSuit.html 8. http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/images14.html#9335 9. http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/images14.html#Pans 10. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_14 12. http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.clsout2.html 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010505.html 14. http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/a14.clsout2.html#1350811 15. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/static/history/alsj/a14/AS14-66-9337HR.jpg 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260116.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 20. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 22. https://apod.com/feed.rss 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 25. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260117 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260118.html 27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 28. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 30. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 32. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 33. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 34. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 36. https://www.nasa.gov/ 37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 38. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 39. http://www.mtu.edu/