APOD: 2026 November 6 – A Farewell to Swift
In fact, De Gerlache-Kocher massif itself has been considered as a potential landing site for future crewed Artemis missions to the Moon.
Key points
- Random APOD Generator Yesterday’s Image APOD: 2026 November 5 – Enceladus in Silhouette Tomorrow’s Image.
- The remarkable telescopic image of the massif at the lunar limb was captured on October 31.
- After nearly 22 years of service, the satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on November 4 at 7:39 EST over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia.
De Gerlache-Kocher Massif Explanation: De Gerlache-Kocher massif looms on the visible horizon in this close-up of the edge of the Moon.
Tomorrow’s picture: meteoric Date: November 7, 2026 Credit: Alejandro Sanz Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech.
Additional details
- Boasting permanently shadowed crater floors that likely contain deposits of water ice and peaks that receive almost continuous sunlight for solar power generation, the south polar region is consider a prime location for the first human settlement on the Moon.
- Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
- Swift had a combination of instruments, including an X-ray telescope and a gamma-ray telescope, that worked together to enable humanity to study, in unprecedented detail, the fastest and most energetic explosions in the universe.
- Swift burned on reentry like a shooting star, but the impressive data acquired by the telescope over its mission will continue to bring light to the mysteries of the cosmos for years to come.
- The mountainous formation rises about 4 kilometers above its surroundings and is located very close to the lunar south pole.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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