The Moon is very much the astronomical body of the moment, with X-prizes up for grabs and a new NASA moon base on the cards. China is also looking to visit, and thinks it might need some additional private funding (Reuters). India has also said it will consider a manned programme and is cooperating with Russia to build an unmanned laboratory there by 2011 (Times of India, Hindu).

Japan’s space agency is getting in on the fun with the first ever high-definition images of an ‘Earth-rise’ – where the Earth appears to be rising over the Moon. Unlike sun-rise on Earth you wouldn’t actually see this from the moon. “[T]he Earth-rise is a phenomenon seen only from satellites that travel around the Moon, such as the KAGUYA and the Apollo space ship,” says the Japan Aerospace Exploration (press release). “The Earth-rise cannot be observed by a person who is on the Moon as they can always see the Earth at the same position.”

They are pretty impressive images, shot from the recently launched Kaguya (or Selene) mission (Nature – subscription required). This mission is proving to be a boon for moon enthusiasts, last week it provided high-definition tv recordings.

Images: JAXA