Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The 1959 Soviet probe returned the first images of the far hemisphere. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a space fact?

Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Luna 3 photographed the Moon's hidden side

The 1959 Soviet probe returned the first images of the far hemisphere Luna 3 swung around the Moon in October 1959 and radioed home 29 pictures covering about 70 percent of the far side. The images were grainy, developed on film aboard the probe and scanned for transmission, but they showed a surface with far fewer dark plains than the near side. Soviet astronomers published a first atlas within a year. It sits in Mondo's space collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NASA Science

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Space & Astronomy trivia

More facts like this

Chang'e 4 landed on the Moon's far sideNo spacecraft had touched down on the hidden hemisphere before 2019 Apollo 8 took the first Earthrise photographThe 1968 crew saw Earth lift above the lunar horizon while in orbit The first surviving photograph needed hours of exposureNicephore Niepce fixed the view from his window at Le Gras in 1826 Muybridge photographed a galloping horse to settle a betHis 1878 sequence showed all four hooves leave the ground at once Venera 7 survived a landing on VenusThe 1970 probe sent data from the surface for about 23 minutes Mariner 4 sent the first close-up pictures of MarsIts 1965 flyby showed a cratered surface and a thin atmosphere

Tags: luna-3, far-side, photography

Luna 3 photographed the Moon's hidden side: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The 1959 Soviet probe returned the first images of the far hemisphere. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.