The images we have nowadays are of course significantly clearer, but there’s something about this low quality photo that is far more awe inspiring given the context.
It’s a brief impression of something that no creature on Earth was ever meant to see. Nearly every Earthling has seen the near side of the moon, but the far side was supposed to be forever just out of reach. A sort of forbidden knowledge that we nevertheless barely obtained by the skin of our teeth through monumental scientific and engineering progress that would have been unthinkable for the vast majority of human history.
I can’t imagine what went through the minds of the very first people to view this image after compiling the raw data from Luna 3’s instruments.
Thank you!