Say cheese! NASA captures stunning images of the far side of the moon

These amazing pictures capture the moon's cratered surface in the most intricate detail ever recorded.

The images, which were taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), have boosted the resolution of images of the far side of the moon over 100 times.

Digital elevation and terrain maps based on the new data reveal the heavily cratered and bumpy surface of the moon in all its complexity.

 
A topographic map of the moon's southern hemisphere from data provided by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft