ridicoulous,

on the moon there is no sunset not ever sunrise because moon rounds about earth in 28 days as well as over herself.

stop showing movies

Edna Dancausa

edna dancausa, Brussel, Belgium

Eh... they look exactly like the Apollo photos which we've been admiring for almost 40 years. Were they really worth 500 million dollars?!

Shirley Alolev, Midlands, UK

The Earth does not rise or set for an observer on the lunar surface.(Libration excluded) The Sun however does rise and set over the period of about 1 lunar month. The stars are not visible due to the contrast between the very bright lunar surface and the relatively dim stars. Although I am not familiar with the technical specification of the instrument which took these wonderful images I think anyone who is waiting for this craft to photograph the remains of the Apollo Landers and a flag from orbit will be disappointed.

Steve, Redditch, England

Nice job... space, here we come.

Luke, melbourne, australia

Seeing the moon from the Earth will always be a poetic and meaningful sight for human beings. Seeing the Earth from the moon is just crazy and should be left to the extra-terrestrials who think the trillions pumped into space programs have been well spent. As for PSF's comment, the words 'pie' and 'sky' spring to mind!

Rakibuddin Ahmed, Edgware, Middlesex

With only one side of the moon facing earth, how could there be an earthrise and earthset as viewed from its surface?

SM Hussain, Hyderabad, India

That's stunning, well done Japan for sharing these images!

Jackson Capper, Kulnura, NSW

to Paul Q
Re Earth setting
The photos are taken from an orbiting craft, think about it.

H, Manchester,

Amazing! Out of this world!

Sarah Phillips, Angers, France

If you all would read the article, you'd see this shot was taken by a PROBE that was in orbit around the moon - hence the apparent "rising and setting" of the earth relative to the horizon.

The probe was SIXTY MILES above the surface of the moon - the average airliner flies six miles above the earth and you can't see a flag from there, so 10 times higher is impossible to see surface debris anyway, regardless.

JJ, London,

Paul Q - it's not quite like a sunrise/sunset on earth, you're quite right that you wouldn't see it if you were actually standing on the moon. These pictures were taken by a probe orbiting the moon, it's the probe's movement which creates the illusion, as it goes from the darkside of the moon to the light side and back again.

Dan, London,

Instead of marveling, admiring, and feeling the profound awe one shd spontaneously feel at the beauty of such images, the first comments are from some obscure, conspiracy-theory-tinted space-cadets' readers' minds. You guys are hopeless and I hope one day you can all be shipped up there...

eve shebang, new york city, USA

Well done Japan.

Let's not get into conspiracies today, far too much time wasted already!

Beeble Brox, Cardiff,

I hate to sound really stupid but could somebody (maybe a photographer) explain why we can't see the stars? Is it something to do with focus and light filtering or am I way off?

Dave, Warrington, England

Everyone wants to go to the moon for one reason...money. The surface of the moon is covered in dust. The dust is impregnated with isotopes from the solar wind because there is no magnetosphere to deflect them. The isotopes contain Helium-3. This fuel is worth billions per tonne and will be used to fuel fusion reactors. Fusion reactors will give us pollution free energy with no radiation to deal with. We all want that don't we? We really shouldn't miss this boat because it is the energy source of the next thousand years. And after we have exhausted the lunar surface we can send ships to scoop Helium-3 in liquid form from the atmosphere Neptune. Assuming, that is, we spend money on energy rather than on war.

PSF, London, UK

Given the stunning image, it is surprising that the Americans didn't think to take a similar shot.

probably too busy go for rides in the 'moon buggy' or playing golf.

I look forward to seeing the pictures of the landing site...

Neil, Edinburgh,

Conspire as much as you like and blow hot air all you want too, technology is overtaking your small minds far too quickly and that isthe fact you cant get a hold of. Japan will outstrip the USA soon as it is spending a bigger budget on exploration rather than military

Bill, London,

You are quite right Paul - to an observer on the moon the sun would not rise or set. The text makes it clear that the camera was not on the moon but sixty miles above it in a spacecraft. So it did not see the earth rising or setting relative to the moon but merely took a series of shots from different camera angles. The rest is marketing, like the guy who put the mammoth tusks on the block of ice for the benefit of the world's media (and himself).

Dermot, Hillsborough, N Ireland

Marcus, London
Have you done any research into the Van Allen belt, or are you basising your knowledge on a very flawed Fox documentary. If you had spent even a short while looking into the belt, then you would realise that you would have to spend a much longer period of time, than any of the Apollo missions did, in this area for the radiation to have any effect.

James, Norwich,

Mohammed London UK

Please answer how human beings could have left the Van Allen belt with so little radioactive protection? On the last Apollo mission the Sun has a huge radioactive storm and nobody suffered any effects? We KNOW that radiation was a big worry for the Russians when they were considering a mission. Also, the 1969 landing was 3 years before silicon chips were invented. Would you like to land one of those crafts on the Moon with little more than a small pocket calculator for navigational assistance?

If that probe comes back with images of remains of the Apollo Missions then I will shut up and say sorry for being stupid. However, I want to see the photos first and if they can’t find any remains…… Remember who was US President at the time – Tricky Dicky!

Marcus, London,

I cant work out how the earth can be seen to "set" on the moon as I thought that moon always had the same side pointing at earth and doesn't spin on an axis. Thats why we always see the same image of the moon.

Paul Q, Derry,

Conspiracy theorists don't operate on evidence. The basis of their faith is that there is a vast intelligence which can manipulate any evidence at will, and which has inscrutable plans of its own. Just like religion, without the worship or supernatural elements.

Norman, Anstruther, UK

Beautiful pictures!

How did they get the camera up there in the first place?! The camera would have frozen up in those sub zero temperatures, and the raditation from the sun would have fried the camera.....

billy, Tourquay, UK

I was never really a conspiracist on this subject but Japan are planning on sending an astronaut to the moon in 2020?? 60 years after the americans?? hmmmmm indeed tony!

Gary, Brighton, West Sussex

Silence the consipracy theorists? I doubt it, this will just add to their self-delusion saying either the Japanese are in league with the US and digitally added the landing sites or simply say the pictures we see her are CGI. After all, if the technology 38 years ago was good enough simulate a landing, today's technology is more than capable of faking these pictures. Their is no limit to the idiocy of these people or their inability/unwillingness to look facts in the face. Makes me smile, really.

Richard, Newbury, UK

This'll silence the Apollo conspiracy people out there, a high-def camera to record the Apollo landing sites! Where was that American Flag again? Oh, it seems to have moved. hmm......

tony, Bristol,

I hope they also shoot hi-res images of the leftovers of US lunar modules and flag. This could end all thoses loony conspiracy theories floating about on the internet.

Mohammed, London, UK