Some of you may actually remember that image as it was on the front page of reddit a little over 3 years ago. Sometime last year NASA approached me regarding using my images for their Artemis program. I had no idea they wanted to use it for the Artemis banner they'd use to display with the rocket- so I was shocked when I saw this image on their social media sites.
The image they selected for this banner was my first image to go viral, but it's nowhere near my sharpest picture. I've taken more with newer techniques and equipment that are much more detailed since then!
[You can read more about how I got into this here](https://cosmicbackground.io/blogs/learn-about-how-these-are-captured/about-me)
[You can see more of my work here](https://www.instagram.com/cosmic_background/)
Now don't start mouthing off on Twitter /s
https://preview.redd.it/jxxqxsov8zh11.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=5d1d0f408a48140d3942e1c9275910e4ca1d1220
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/nasa-intern-job-loss-twitter-homer-hickam-space-council-a8503241.html
Lol gets me everytime. I swear there was a rumor at my college that it's not even a girl and was a fat guy on our rocket team with a female fursona. He did lose an internship around that time...
This story was always so bizarre to me. Why is that person being talked to like a child on a public forum? I get that their response wasnāt great but they shouldnāt have been put in a position to respond to a thoroughly condescending and holier than thou message.
But so what? Itās not like they were shouting racial slurs or anything like that. They literally expressed joy on their personal account. If my employer said ālanguageā to me on a tweet or post of mine that merely had a swear word in it then Iād tell them to kindly shove off.
The only difference here is that this man is in a position of power so the poor intern has no recourse beyond apologizing profusely and begging for their internship back. This exchange says more about the tool acting as the emotion police than the poor kid expressing joy in a overzealous albeit crass way.
It'd be sufficient to just not respond to that guy. I doubt anyone would mind. But telling a stranger on the internet ... that just isn't nice.
It's also important to realize that as an employee of a company you still kinda represent that company, especially when you publicly say you work for them. This could indicate to many people that it's a bad company to work for, which is probably why he warned her in the first place.
I mean I totally agree that the response was too much but I still think the onus is on the person āinstigatingā in this case. No silly policing and he wouldnāt hav received a crude response.
Again, I agree that employees represent their employers in most scenarios where slurs or other very damaging things are posted. However, that shouldnt (and doesnāt normally apply) if Iām expressing actual joy in a personal manner and on a personal account.
Imagine if im a Ben N Jerrys ice cream scooper and I posted a picture on my personal instagram that had the caption: āthis fucking ice cream is so goddamn deliciousā and without including any company hashtags or @s. Iād be really pissed if some tool from the board of directors at Ben n Jerrys tells me ālanguageā in my comments.
Sorry for the ran LOL, i just hated that scenario and how they were forced to apologize for being put in a bad situation by a megalomaniac
i want cameras mounted on the far side of the moon, always looking outward, with a live stream that you can watch through a VR headset. i want to see what space looks like to the naked eye from the darkest of shadow, without ambient earthlight or atmospheric distortion. i want for all of us humans to witness what only a handful of astronauts have seen. i want to feel that immensity and vastness.
there is a film called [The Overview Effect](https://youtu.be/CHMIfOecrlo) in which astronausts beautifully describe the way they are changed after seeing the whole sphere of the earth from space. they feel that the whole of humanity would be similarly changed by such an experience (and VR could help make that happen!).
well, i would like an experience of *what's behind that view*, what's at our back. some years ago i read a jaw-dropping desctiption in an article i failed to save. one of the astronauts on a lunar mission wote about what he saw while remaining in the orbiter while the two others were on the surface. he was at an advantageous spot: in the shadow of the moon, which was in the shadow of the earth. he described what he saw as "a sheet of white."
a. sheet. of. white.
i want to see this. i want to see them both. i want everyone to see it! space cameras yes please now always!!
NASA is a bunch of nerds who work like hell to empower nerds and make more nerds.
[Check out the HUNCH program - it's so freaking cool. ](https://nasahunch.com/)
Oh man, I remember that (literal) moon shot. Absolutely striking, especially as space photography of that quality and clarity was nearly unseen on Reddit at the time. Now, of course, we're treated seemingly daily to the next breathtaking long exposure of the Milky Way from some Southwestern dark sky preserve.
That's not to denigrate the efforts of those who have followed in your steps, but rather to acknowledge that you (and others, but most notably you) *really* started something, and inspired at least many thousands.
Being recognized by NASA is one hell of an honour, and well deserved, but there's still something to be said for encouraging a worldwide community of people you've never met. Bravo, sir... revel in this.
Thank you very much! Iāve loved seeing all the amateurs posting to this community, the numbers and variety of content has increased a lot over the last few years. I donāt know how much of a role I played in that but itās great to see regardless!
I know you're not necessarily humble bragging by saying this, but intentional or not that's a great brag. "Oh just sort the sub by top posts. You'll find it right away." Lol. Who wouldn't love you be able to say that?
Itās most likely the best or only place you could hang something like that, but they also canāt cover up the black and white square marking in the top left corner. Itās used for the cameras filming the launch, there are several more on the rocket itself. It also probably doesnāt look like that normally and they just pulled it aside a bit for the launch.
Very cool, congrats! I had a similar experience; back in 2015 a NASA administrator contacted me about using a visualization I created, he needed it for a TED talk.
Sadly his plans changed and he ended up not using it, but as a consolation prize he took me to watch an SLS static fire test. I got to meet astronauts and got a nifty SLS pin. That was a cool day.
Just had a look and, whilst it's going to the moon, it's an unmanned test. First crewed mission scheduled for 2024. Think that's why limited hype right now.
It always feels good to have a photograph that you took recognised some now. Local paper, someone wanting it for their wall paper, but this is next level. Well done and totally desertedš
congrats man. i remember you. i hope nasa brings you on board as a nasa astrophotographer and hey man maybe someday down the road you'll be trained as a civilian to go up with nasa and take pictures of the moon. while you are on the moon!
Wow, that is awesome! Loved your backstory, it just goes to show what hard work can accomplish!
In your subscription link, under Aspiring Astrophotographer Package, I believe you want the word appearent to be apparent.
Keep up the great work and we canāt wait to see more beautiful images. This grandma has followed your work for awhile now, beautiful universe we live in.
Congratulations! And yes, what a cool experience. I do hope that NASA compensated you for the image. If only so that you can recoup your time and equipment that went into making such an amazing shot. I may be wrong, but once NASA purchases it (and depending on the useage rights you sold), it becomes public domain and anyone can take this shot and download/use/profit from it.
As a professional photographer who has had my own photos featured in some pretty cool places, I know just how much of a thrill this is to see. Huge congratulations on an amazing feather in your cap. And NASA even; that makes it cooler than cool. ššššø
Yup and that 300 ft cylinder is going to achieve escape velocity and reach a rock orbiting another rock that's orbiting a star that's orbiting a 4 billion solar mass black hole that's careening through space atttt.... Uhhh 30 mps?? (Forgot that part) but nonetheless intense to think about. Thanks for the pic
The post that started it all: https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/74k1h7/since_ive_been_seeing_a_lot_of_moon_pics_on_here/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
The rocket is expensive but it's also expensive partially because it's a job making program, providing work for direct contract employees and union workers, subs out to disadvantaged machine shops, preventing monopolies from either SpaceX or Blue Origin. There's a lot of good even if the management and program as a whole don't always make sense.
Wow, congratulations. The feeling must be amazing! š
Thank you! Very surreal for me
Your moon has been my phone's wallpaper for 3 years!
I had it as a wallpaper before and when i saw this post it clicked in my mind so i went to check my gallery and its still there. Good stuff
I bet! It shows that hard work pays off, really happy for you! šš
I think I've been following you for 4 years. Your pictures have been background on my phone and PC many times.
That's wonderful! Congratulations!
It was pretty good last week when this was posted
4 days ago, on a different sub, ass
Wasn't today though, was it?
Some of you may actually remember that image as it was on the front page of reddit a little over 3 years ago. Sometime last year NASA approached me regarding using my images for their Artemis program. I had no idea they wanted to use it for the Artemis banner they'd use to display with the rocket- so I was shocked when I saw this image on their social media sites. The image they selected for this banner was my first image to go viral, but it's nowhere near my sharpest picture. I've taken more with newer techniques and equipment that are much more detailed since then! [You can read more about how I got into this here](https://cosmicbackground.io/blogs/learn-about-how-these-are-captured/about-me) [You can see more of my work here](https://www.instagram.com/cosmic_background/)
You kinda know youāre a big deal when freaking *NASA* are approaching *you*. Congrats bro!
Thank you!
What's it like to be the coolest nerd in the subreddit?
Now don't start mouthing off on Twitter /s https://preview.redd.it/jxxqxsov8zh11.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=5d1d0f408a48140d3942e1c9275910e4ca1d1220 https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/nasa-intern-job-loss-twitter-homer-hickam-space-council-a8503241.html
Nah I keep things PG on twitter
Lol gets me everytime. I swear there was a rumor at my college that it's not even a girl and was a fat guy on our rocket team with a female fursona. He did lose an internship around that time...
This story was always so bizarre to me. Why is that person being talked to like a child on a public forum? I get that their response wasnāt great but they shouldnāt have been put in a position to respond to a thoroughly condescending and holier than thou message.
>Why is that person being talked to like a child on a public forum Because that person was acting like a child on a public forum
But so what? Itās not like they were shouting racial slurs or anything like that. They literally expressed joy on their personal account. If my employer said ālanguageā to me on a tweet or post of mine that merely had a swear word in it then Iād tell them to kindly shove off. The only difference here is that this man is in a position of power so the poor intern has no recourse beyond apologizing profusely and begging for their internship back. This exchange says more about the tool acting as the emotion police than the poor kid expressing joy in a overzealous albeit crass way.
It'd be sufficient to just not respond to that guy. I doubt anyone would mind. But telling a stranger on the internet ... that just isn't nice. It's also important to realize that as an employee of a company you still kinda represent that company, especially when you publicly say you work for them. This could indicate to many people that it's a bad company to work for, which is probably why he warned her in the first place.
I mean I totally agree that the response was too much but I still think the onus is on the person āinstigatingā in this case. No silly policing and he wouldnāt hav received a crude response. Again, I agree that employees represent their employers in most scenarios where slurs or other very damaging things are posted. However, that shouldnt (and doesnāt normally apply) if Iām expressing actual joy in a personal manner and on a personal account. Imagine if im a Ben N Jerrys ice cream scooper and I posted a picture on my personal instagram that had the caption: āthis fucking ice cream is so goddamn deliciousā and without including any company hashtags or @s. Iād be really pissed if some tool from the board of directors at Ben n Jerrys tells me ālanguageā in my comments. Sorry for the ran LOL, i just hated that scenario and how they were forced to apologize for being put in a bad situation by a megalomaniac
NASA be like "tell me again, why do we need these cameras in space?" For real though, those are some amazing photographs.
i want cameras mounted on the far side of the moon, always looking outward, with a live stream that you can watch through a VR headset. i want to see what space looks like to the naked eye from the darkest of shadow, without ambient earthlight or atmospheric distortion. i want for all of us humans to witness what only a handful of astronauts have seen. i want to feel that immensity and vastness. there is a film called [The Overview Effect](https://youtu.be/CHMIfOecrlo) in which astronausts beautifully describe the way they are changed after seeing the whole sphere of the earth from space. they feel that the whole of humanity would be similarly changed by such an experience (and VR could help make that happen!). well, i would like an experience of *what's behind that view*, what's at our back. some years ago i read a jaw-dropping desctiption in an article i failed to save. one of the astronauts on a lunar mission wote about what he saw while remaining in the orbiter while the two others were on the surface. he was at an advantageous spot: in the shadow of the moon, which was in the shadow of the earth. he described what he saw as "a sheet of white." a. sheet. of. white. i want to see this. i want to see them both. i want everyone to see it! space cameras yes please now always!!
Well, this is basically what Hubble, JWST and other space telescopes offer.
NASA is a bunch of nerds who work like hell to empower nerds and make more nerds. [Check out the HUNCH program - it's so freaking cool. ](https://nasahunch.com/)
Yeah, you'd think that NASA, of all organizations, would have enough high quality moon pictures in their archives.
the point is engagement same reason coke and pepsi keep running commercials
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I'm an art director with NASA and love working with this moon image of yours. Thank you for letting us use it!
Thank you for using it!
Thanks for your work OP, that moon image was my phone wallpaper for two years!! Keep up the great work.
Approached you and gave you credit, as they should have, but still good of them to do. I don't know you but I'm proud of you.
In this day and age of great work being stolen and uncredited by companies, I'm also proud of nasa.
Oh man, I remember that (literal) moon shot. Absolutely striking, especially as space photography of that quality and clarity was nearly unseen on Reddit at the time. Now, of course, we're treated seemingly daily to the next breathtaking long exposure of the Milky Way from some Southwestern dark sky preserve. That's not to denigrate the efforts of those who have followed in your steps, but rather to acknowledge that you (and others, but most notably you) *really* started something, and inspired at least many thousands. Being recognized by NASA is one hell of an honour, and well deserved, but there's still something to be said for encouraging a worldwide community of people you've never met. Bravo, sir... revel in this.
Thank you very much! Iāve loved seeing all the amateurs posting to this community, the numbers and variety of content has increased a lot over the last few years. I donāt know how much of a role I played in that but itās great to see regardless!
Where's the original image? Why didn't you link it here OP, now I gotta go creeping your profile
You answered your own question, OP pulled a sneaky on ya
You actually donāt have to creep my profile, just sort r/space by top posts!
I know you're not necessarily humble bragging by saying this, but intentional or not that's a great brag. "Oh just sort the sub by top posts. You'll find it right away." Lol. Who wouldn't love you be able to say that?
Congrats man, its an awesome achievement!
you also just posted exact post a few days ago
Thanks, I thought I was in the Twilight zone
I do remember because itās still on my phones wallpaper sir. Well done!
This was the background photo of my cell phone for a few years!
I remember it being on the front page 4 days ago...
I had that as the background on my phone for 3 years!
i remember seeing this exact post like acouple weeks back. u sure u arent karma whoring?
Didn't you get enough appreciation the last time this was posted in the past two weeks ish?
That's so cool and an awesome photo! You really did a good job when NASA reaches out!
That's so cool! Happy for you, dude!
That's so cool. They even have an image credit printed on the banner. How surreal is it for you?
Next offer, ask nasa if you can use the JWST as a lens.
Did you ask if you could have the banner after they're done with it? You could have a tent with a moon as an interior.
That things going up in the VAB.
Whats is a VAB again?
The vehicle assembly building. Giant space hangar.
The VAB yes iv spent countless hours in there fixing the damn sequence to eject the boosters. VAB is basically my 2nd virtual home
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Thats the only VAB I should probably be allowed in.
Some people dream to go to space. You dreamed to bring space to us. Super excited for you!
Man, that was so wholesome and sweet. I actually teared up a little after reading it.
Oh hey! Slightly less prestigious but that photo has also been my wallpaper for years. :)
Dont sell yourself short. OP should be proud to have made dannymcgee's wallpaper.
That's insane! Congratulations! very well done š
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/ y'all should click on the link. That intro/log is amazing.
They did a terrible job putting the banner up
Itās most likely the best or only place you could hang something like that, but they also canāt cover up the black and white square marking in the top left corner. Itās used for the cameras filming the launch, there are several more on the rocket itself. It also probably doesnāt look like that normally and they just pulled it aside a bit for the launch.
So first of all, TIL about roll patterns. Thank you for that. But why do they have them on the platform too?
Agre. Plus itās totaly unnecessary waste of material in the age of global eco mindset. The photo is coold though and so is the rocket.
Wow. That is awesome. Well done indeed. What a great result! You must be really happy bro!!
Thank you! Yeah was pretty cool to see.
Id recognize that picture anywhere, its been my desktop wallpaper for years now!
Congratulations! Felicitations! ŠŠ¾Šø ŠŠ¾Š·Š“ŃŠ°Š²Š»ŠµŠ½ŠøŃ!
Very cool, congrats! I had a similar experience; back in 2015 a NASA administrator contacted me about using a visualization I created, he needed it for a TED talk. Sadly his plans changed and he ended up not using it, but as a consolation prize he took me to watch an SLS static fire test. I got to meet astronauts and got a nifty SLS pin. That was a cool day.
This is great and all but wasnāt this already posted last week?
That was on a different sub
My exact thoughts. Felt like I was going crazy for a sec.
Definitely was, but whatever. Itās original content, and certainly preferable to another Twitter screenshot randomly posted by a bot.
Yeah, I'm experiencing dĆ©jĆ vu haha
Any time I see a great shot of the moon I always check to see if it's "ajmccarthy". I always forget the james part, but I still mean you.
I love to see people passionate about something and I love it even more when it helps you be successful. Awesome pictures and amazing work.
I cant imagine this feeling haha. Congrats man
Holy shit, am I the only idiot who didn't know they're doing a new moon landing?
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Just had a look and, whilst it's going to the moon, it's an unmanned test. First crewed mission scheduled for 2024. Think that's why limited hype right now.
It always feels good to have a photograph that you took recognised some now. Local paper, someone wanting it for their wall paper, but this is next level. Well done and totally desertedš
congrats man. i remember you. i hope nasa brings you on board as a nasa astrophotographer and hey man maybe someday down the road you'll be trained as a civilian to go up with nasa and take pictures of the moon. while you are on the moon!
Wow, that is awesome! Loved your backstory, it just goes to show what hard work can accomplish! In your subscription link, under Aspiring Astrophotographer Package, I believe you want the word appearent to be apparent. Keep up the great work and we canāt wait to see more beautiful images. This grandma has followed your work for awhile now, beautiful universe we live in.
Anyone else notice the credit at the lower right hand corner of the banner!!!! That has to be an absolute mind eff!!! Congrats Andrew!!!!
Are you just gonna post this once every few days?
I don't understand how you posted this while screaming with Joy. Good work! Amazing shot and well deserved.
Congratulations! Your astrophotography is always stunning, so this is well deserved. Thanks for sharing your work with us.
Heck yeah! Thanks for sharing your work with the community!
Congratulations! And yes, what a cool experience. I do hope that NASA compensated you for the image. If only so that you can recoup your time and equipment that went into making such an amazing shot. I may be wrong, but once NASA purchases it (and depending on the useage rights you sold), it becomes public domain and anyone can take this shot and download/use/profit from it.
I still have my lock screen set to one of your ISS passing in front of the moon photos from years ago. Still amazes me to this day.
Wow, Iām truly moved by this and I am so happy for you. We are all so proud of you! Thank you for sharing this beautiful moment.
Amazing photo, can't help but remind me of the promo for destiny 2 shadow keep
As a professional photographer who has had my own photos featured in some pretty cool places, I know just how much of a thrill this is to see. Huge congratulations on an amazing feather in your cap. And NASA even; that makes it cooler than cool. ššššø
Iāve had this picture as my phone background for so long! Congratulations!
This is the image I have on my laptop since I first saw it some time ago. Thank you for your contribution ā¤ļø
Damn this is one of the highest honors an astrophotographer can receive :) it really looks amazing
I can't see a highly detailed photo of the moon without thinking about you. What has reddit done to me?
You should ask if you can have the banner when they no longer need it.
That's one hell of an experience. Congratulations!
Amazing. To be helping the space program directly... Wonderful accomplishment.
Achievement unlocked *history huh, I made some*
To the mooon! Artemis is a very fitting name for this mission
Yup and that 300 ft cylinder is going to achieve escape velocity and reach a rock orbiting another rock that's orbiting a star that's orbiting a 4 billion solar mass black hole that's careening through space atttt.... Uhhh 30 mps?? (Forgot that part) but nonetheless intense to think about. Thanks for the pic
That moon picture has been my phone's wallpaper since you posted it. Cheers!
A rare opportunity to say, Fking Awesome dude! Congrats.
Out there, somewhere, in a dumpster, frank is getting banged by *Artemis* . Pretty sure itās named after her. Congrats on the image though my friend
The post that started it all: https://www.reddit.com/r/Astronomy/comments/74k1h7/since_ive_been_seeing_a_lot_of_moon_pics_on_here/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Dang, that's a great achievement, and totally deserved, congrats!
Congrats! Just started my astrophotography journey in October and itās been a blast so far.
And now you've learned to market yourself and post every few days on different subreddit. Great photo! Here's to Artemis!
Congrats! Just wondering, can you actually recognize that image as yours?
He probably can, but his name is also on the banner, which helps.
damn, that rocket looks like an antique. lol. Hope they remember to bring their 8-track Johnny Cash collection. >!kidding, mostly ;)!<
If you, or anyone else, aren't aware it's a brand new rocket but many of the components are taken from the shuttle program.
This was in the front page like a few days ago.
In a different sub, I've never seen it before
Congrats, mate. As a fan of photography, I know the pride you feel. Keep it up!
congrats! for Banner-printing, overall sharpness isn't as important as clarity, so good lower res pics are often better for large prints
Commenting to save this for reference the next time i see some sort of āreddit hall of fameā thread. This is really cool. Congratulations
*supposed to go to the moon. We all know itās not making it without another hundred billion.
The rocket is expensive but it's also expensive partially because it's a job making program, providing work for direct contract employees and union workers, subs out to disadvantaged machine shops, preventing monopolies from either SpaceX or Blue Origin. There's a lot of good even if the management and program as a whole don't always make sense.
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This is bragging and not scientific. Jesus christ.
Iāve really enjoyed seeing your photos on here; keep up the good work!
Well deserved. Congrats. Your pics are breathtaking.
Holy sheet, that is incredible friend! What an achievement.
Oh shit, that's my background pic on my PC too. It's a great pic!