What we’re seeing: China has just released a new batch of photossnapped by its Chang’e 4 lunar probe and its Yutu-2 rover. The new images give us the sharpest look ever at the landscape of the far side of the moon, just as the robots wake up from a two-week slumber. Painstaking process: In the last few days, several scientists and space-image experts have been using their skills to process and colorize the new photos from the raw data. Many of these images depict close-up views of the far side’s craters and lunar soil.
The robots: The probe and lander touched down at the beginning of 2019. They officially began their 14th lunar day on January 18 and 19, respectively. The robots are solar powered, and must enter a state of hibernation during the cold, dark lunar night. Each lunar day and night lasts about two Earth weeks.