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Full Moon
In Full Moon, one of the best science photography books ever published, Michael Light presents a voyage in images to the Moon and back. Light took NASA's master negatives of photos taken by Apollo astronauts and scanned them electronically. The resulting pictures are so vivid they seem more clear than real life. Light orders the photos sequentially, selecting the most arresting images from each mission, to create a truly cinematic experience. In the first section, depicting blastoff, you can almost feel the violent shaking of the rocket as it strains to escape Earth's gravity. Then you see the quiet stillness of weightlessness, the astronauts' view down at a perfectly silent Earth, boundless oceans contrasting with bright white clouds. A spacewalk adds vertigo--the astronaut looks fragile and very alone as he floats outside his capsule far above his home planet. Then comes the waiting, as the long voyage toward the Moon continues.
As you watch the cratered surface get closer and closer, you have no sense of scale until you see the miniscule silver and gold lander dropping gently to land on the Moon. Leaving the cluttered interior of the capsule in bulky, awkward suits, the astronauts bring delicate tracings of color--gold on the lander; red, white, and blue on the spacesuits' flag patches--to this black-and-white world. Five huge gatefolds in this section give you indescribable views of the intricately scarred surface of the Moon.
You return to space for the reuniting of the lander and capsule, and a repetition of the tedious journey back home. Finally, you watch a chaotic splashdown in the riot of colors that is Earth.
A nice section in the back of the book explains each photo with a detailed caption, and an essay by author Andrew Chaikin (A Man on the Moon) adds more written context to this stunning visual experience. The book is printed on very high-quality paper, with matte black frames for the photos and a gorgeous, wordless cover. Every space fan should have a copy. --Therese Littleton
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
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499 people want to read
About the author
Michael Light
13 books4 followersMichael Light is a San Francisco-based photographer and bookmaker focused on the environment and how contemporary American culture relates to it. His work is concerned both with the politics of that relationship and the seductions of landscape representation. He has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally, and his work has been collected by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Getty Research Library, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others.
For the last fifteen years, Light has aerially photographed over settled and unsettled areas of American space, pursuing themes of mapping, vertigo, human impact on the land, and various aspects of geologic time and the sublime. A private pilot, he is currently working on an extended aerial photographic survey of the inter-mountain Western states, and in 2007 won a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Photography to pursue this project. Radius Books published the first of a planned multi-volume series of this work, Bingham Mine/Garfield Stack, in Fall 2009. The second, LA Day/LA Night, will be released in Spring 2011.
Light is also known for reworking familiar historical photographic and cultural icons with a landscape-driven perspective by sifting through public archives. His first such project, FULL MOON (1999), used lunar geological survey imagery made by the Apollo astronauts to show the moon both as a sublime desert and an embattled point of first human contact. His most recent archival project, 100 SUNS (2003), focused on the politics and landscape meanings of military photographs of U.S. atmospheric nuclear detonations from 1945 to 1962.
20 editions of Light's books have been published globally since 1993.
For the last fifteen years, Light has aerially photographed over settled and unsettled areas of American space, pursuing themes of mapping, vertigo, human impact on the land, and various aspects of geologic time and the sublime. A private pilot, he is currently working on an extended aerial photographic survey of the inter-mountain Western states, and in 2007 won a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Photography to pursue this project. Radius Books published the first of a planned multi-volume series of this work, Bingham Mine/Garfield Stack, in Fall 2009. The second, LA Day/LA Night, will be released in Spring 2011.
Light is also known for reworking familiar historical photographic and cultural icons with a landscape-driven perspective by sifting through public archives. His first such project, FULL MOON (1999), used lunar geological survey imagery made by the Apollo astronauts to show the moon both as a sublime desert and an embattled point of first human contact. His most recent archival project, 100 SUNS (2003), focused on the politics and landscape meanings of military photographs of U.S. atmospheric nuclear detonations from 1945 to 1962.
20 editions of Light's books have been published globally since 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 28, 2013
This is a beautifully produced book of images taken primarily from the Apollo moon missions (there's a couple from the earlier Gemini missions, too), which after 40-odd years are still breathtaking.
The photographs are presented on black pages with only the image numbering as text. Captions are given for each photograph at the end of the book and, while this means much flicking back and forth on a first read, allows the images to stand for themselves when you go back over them, which I certainly will.
There are several of the iconic images that have entered the global consciousness: Ed White's spacewalk; Earthrise from lunar orbit; Buzz Aldrin's footprint in the lunar "soil", "Full Earth": but mostly they are taken from NASA archives which have not been widely circulated.
There's a short essay by the author at the end of the book, describing how he conceived the project and the rationale for his choice of pictures to include.
I don't understand how anybody could not be moved by these amazing photographs that document what is still the crowning achievement of human culture. If you think the moon-landings were a hoax, shame on you.
The photographs are presented on black pages with only the image numbering as text. Captions are given for each photograph at the end of the book and, while this means much flicking back and forth on a first read, allows the images to stand for themselves when you go back over them, which I certainly will.
There are several of the iconic images that have entered the global consciousness: Ed White's spacewalk; Earthrise from lunar orbit; Buzz Aldrin's footprint in the lunar "soil", "Full Earth": but mostly they are taken from NASA archives which have not been widely circulated.
There's a short essay by the author at the end of the book, describing how he conceived the project and the rationale for his choice of pictures to include.
I don't understand how anybody could not be moved by these amazing photographs that document what is still the crowning achievement of human culture. If you think the moon-landings were a hoax, shame on you.
July 24, 2015
This is one of the most beautiful books I have read. The quality of the images and printing show that this is beyond any doubt a labour of love.
If you have a passion for art, read it. If you have a passion for space travel, science and photography then read it. I can not stress enough the beauty of this book, one the most remarkable events in history to savour.
ENJOY.
If you have a passion for art, read it. If you have a passion for space travel, science and photography then read it. I can not stress enough the beauty of this book, one the most remarkable events in history to savour.
ENJOY.
March 2, 2018
A beautifully-produced and printed book, but I thought the photos Light picked were disappointing and a bit dull. Some were even blurry! The idea sounds great --he looked through the thousands of photos archived from the manned Apollo visits to the moon -- but a lot of the photos just didn't click for me. And I'm a pretty serious space-cadet. See if your library has a copy -- but I much preferred Light's stunning "100 Suns" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... -- which you really shouldn't miss.
August 9, 2019
I've always been fascinated with the space program, ever since visiting the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center as a child in 1977. It was only eight years since Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon and less than five years since the final Apollo mission - Apollo 17 in December 1972.
This is a truly beautiful book. I picked up my copy 10 or 15 years ago in a sale - the binding was damaged, but the breathtaking photos within were perfectly preserved. The recent 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing caused me to take this book from the shelf and read it again. The images are a fantastic collection of the actual imagery from the Apollo program 1967-1972, with a few from the Gemini program thrown in as well. The photographs are selected from the thousands (over 32,000 actually) in the NASA archives and they are reproduced in exquisite detail and quality.
Although the images are from more than a dozen missions, they are put together to recreate the story of a single mission from launch to touchdown. They show the spectacular imagery of the moon, the spacecraft and of the Earth from space, but also the very human side of the astronauts doing their jobs. The photos fill each page of this large format photographic monograph, some moonscape panoramas extended by double gatefolds in an effort to capture the grandeur of the moonscapes. It includes some of the most famous images that we know and love - the views of Earth from the Moon, the footprint in the moondust, and others. But some of my favourites are of the astronauts in candid moments. For example, Eugene Cernan, mission commander of Apollo 17 back in the lunar module after three days exploring the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley - grimy and exhausted staring towards his co-pilot, Harrison Schmitt, who took the photo. Another would be James Lovell trying to sleep in the freezing temperatures of the crippled Apollo 13. Another is the photograph of his family portrait that Charles Duke (Apollo 16) left behind on the surface of the Moon.
The book includes helpful mission data on each of the Apollo missions; a graphical representation of the stages of the missions; a map showing where each mission touched down on the surface of the moon and their relationship to each other; as well as captions and technical details for each photograph. Two essays are included at the back of the book. One, 'The Farthest Place' by Andrew Chaikin on the experience of the astronauts and the program overall includes a quote from Eugene Cernan which I particularly like:
That seems to be a theme of the book: that the greatest discovery of the Apollo missions was Earth - looking back and realising this precious thing that we live on, enjoy and have responsibility for. The other essay is called 'The Skin of the Moon' and is by Michael Light, the photographer who selected the images. This will be particularly interesting for photographers as he describes the process of selecting and preparing the photographs for publication as well as the peculiarities of space photography (there are some).
Get a hold of this book if you can - even if you just borrow it from a library. You will be rewarded.
This is a truly beautiful book. I picked up my copy 10 or 15 years ago in a sale - the binding was damaged, but the breathtaking photos within were perfectly preserved. The recent 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing caused me to take this book from the shelf and read it again. The images are a fantastic collection of the actual imagery from the Apollo program 1967-1972, with a few from the Gemini program thrown in as well. The photographs are selected from the thousands (over 32,000 actually) in the NASA archives and they are reproduced in exquisite detail and quality.
Although the images are from more than a dozen missions, they are put together to recreate the story of a single mission from launch to touchdown. They show the spectacular imagery of the moon, the spacecraft and of the Earth from space, but also the very human side of the astronauts doing their jobs. The photos fill each page of this large format photographic monograph, some moonscape panoramas extended by double gatefolds in an effort to capture the grandeur of the moonscapes. It includes some of the most famous images that we know and love - the views of Earth from the Moon, the footprint in the moondust, and others. But some of my favourites are of the astronauts in candid moments. For example, Eugene Cernan, mission commander of Apollo 17 back in the lunar module after three days exploring the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley - grimy and exhausted staring towards his co-pilot, Harrison Schmitt, who took the photo. Another would be James Lovell trying to sleep in the freezing temperatures of the crippled Apollo 13. Another is the photograph of his family portrait that Charles Duke (Apollo 16) left behind on the surface of the Moon.
The book includes helpful mission data on each of the Apollo missions; a graphical representation of the stages of the missions; a map showing where each mission touched down on the surface of the moon and their relationship to each other; as well as captions and technical details for each photograph. Two essays are included at the back of the book. One, 'The Farthest Place' by Andrew Chaikin on the experience of the astronauts and the program overall includes a quote from Eugene Cernan which I particularly like:
"Every guy that's gone out to lunar distance is amazed by the beauty of the Earth," Cernan declared. For him, the sight was the single experience he most cherishes from his two lunar voyages, one that evoked feelings of spiritual awe. He recalled thinking, "I must be at a place that God envisioned before he created this universe. I must be seeing the Earth as he saw it before he created it. It's just too beautiful to have happened by accident."
That seems to be a theme of the book: that the greatest discovery of the Apollo missions was Earth - looking back and realising this precious thing that we live on, enjoy and have responsibility for. The other essay is called 'The Skin of the Moon' and is by Michael Light, the photographer who selected the images. This will be particularly interesting for photographers as he describes the process of selecting and preparing the photographs for publication as well as the peculiarities of space photography (there are some).
Get a hold of this book if you can - even if you just borrow it from a library. You will be rewarded.
April 12, 2008
Absolutely amazing! The only place I've seen more breathtaking images of space, the moon, and earth is at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, inside Hayden Planetarium in NYC – which is a permanent exhibition of the best of this book's prints.
Light's work is incredibly stunning on that large scale (this hardcover's dimensions are smaller than your standard coffee-table book size) and I recommend spending time there if you can. That said, this is a great little book to have around, as a reminder of both astonishing accomplishments and meek human perspective.
Light's work is incredibly stunning on that large scale (this hardcover's dimensions are smaller than your standard coffee-table book size) and I recommend spending time there if you can. That said, this is a great little book to have around, as a reminder of both astonishing accomplishments and meek human perspective.
January 19, 2008
Beautiful collection of photography from the US moon missions. Stark black and white in some places and full four-color photography in others, this captures the space, the light, and the astronauts, who seem completely out of place in the grey dusty blackness. A few beautiful gatefold panorama shots add to the impact.
November 11, 2009
I regret not finishing the last few pages of narrative before returning the book (late) to the library. What I read was very educating and well written. I actually got more out of the text than I did the pictures, which I equate more to my modern-era short attention span than anything else.
Kudos Mr. Light, I'll be back to finish the last few pages.
Kudos Mr. Light, I'll be back to finish the last few pages.
June 15, 2014
The remedy for when those sad little 'We-never-went-to-the-moon' idiots pop up their heads occasionally. I'd love to beat every one last one over the head with this book. But since they simply cannot grasp the magnitude of what was achieved here, the beauty of this book is lost on their empty little souls.
August 11, 2016
This is the most beautiful book of Apollo-related photographs I've ever seen. Yes, it's "just" a picture book, but anyone who has any interest in Apollo will want this one on their shelf to look at again and again, and to show to others. Better than anything Ron Howard or Tom Hanks could create.
July 21, 2019
Essentially an art book, Light has taken a number of photographs from the various Apollo missions and placed them in such an order as to tell the story of one fictitious mission to the moon and back, split into three sections - the outbound journey, on the surface and back to Earth.
It is a thing of beauty and another worthy book to "read" through on the anniversary of mankind's first steps on another world. The clarity of the photos is amazing and they do tell a story. There are two essays, one by the "author" which, for me was a little dry in places, slightly too technical for a non-photographer, but still interesting, the other (and, in my opinion, better and more interesting) briefly tells the story of the missions, using quotes from the astronauts.
I have just two quibbles that prevent this book getting five stars. Firstly, the photos are silent, with no description or credits until after the essays, when thumbnail versions are presented, with descriptions and commentary. Personally I would have preferred the two to be combined, instead of having to flip back to the main photo to pair up the words and imagery fully. Secondly, the books has been sitting on my shelves, unread, since I bought it and hasn't really stood the test of time. The weight of the pages has dragged them down, putting stress on the bottom, away-from-the-spine corners, spoiling them slightly. Also, one pair of pages has come away from the binding. Badly put together, or just unlucky?
It is a thing of beauty and another worthy book to "read" through on the anniversary of mankind's first steps on another world. The clarity of the photos is amazing and they do tell a story. There are two essays, one by the "author" which, for me was a little dry in places, slightly too technical for a non-photographer, but still interesting, the other (and, in my opinion, better and more interesting) briefly tells the story of the missions, using quotes from the astronauts.
I have just two quibbles that prevent this book getting five stars. Firstly, the photos are silent, with no description or credits until after the essays, when thumbnail versions are presented, with descriptions and commentary. Personally I would have preferred the two to be combined, instead of having to flip back to the main photo to pair up the words and imagery fully. Secondly, the books has been sitting on my shelves, unread, since I bought it and hasn't really stood the test of time. The weight of the pages has dragged them down, putting stress on the bottom, away-from-the-spine corners, spoiling them slightly. Also, one pair of pages has come away from the binding. Badly put together, or just unlucky?
June 9, 2023
"Full Moon" is a very beautiful photo essay, this book is a collection of images which were taken by the astronauts on the Apollo missions of the late 1960's and the early 1970's.
"Full Moon" is designed for laypersons, you don't need any advanced understanding of planetary science to understand or to appreciate this book.
The last manned mission to the moon was in 1972. Hopefully at some point during the 2020's or in the 2030's, humans will return to the surface of the moon and we'll see more new photos of the features of it's surface.
"Full Moon" is designed for laypersons, you don't need any advanced understanding of planetary science to understand or to appreciate this book.
The last manned mission to the moon was in 1972. Hopefully at some point during the 2020's or in the 2030's, humans will return to the surface of the moon and we'll see more new photos of the features of it's surface.
February 16, 2019
Cool stuff
February 3, 2021
Wish there was more information and not just pictures but still well put together
July 13, 2021
Fun review of visual NASA history of going to the Moon, being on the Moon and returning. I remember this so It was nice seeing these photos all together in one book. Recommended.
February 6, 2025
the moon kinda looks like north dakota
March 7, 2025
Stunningly beautiful photos.
February 1, 2019
261110: beautiful pictures. ‘magnificent desolation’ indeed. humankind will never be to mars until humans walk on that distant world, as this series of moon landings makes clear, as this art meets science, makes the abstract real, in a way no math, no engineering, no science, can. this wonder is completed in these images. for those of us very unlikely to ever visit the moon, here are postcards of the dream.
December 5, 2023
The only instance, at least that I've found, where someone was able to scan the Apollo film at high-res . . . one of the most gorgeous photobooks in existence, and a vast improvement over the (online) Apollo photo archive, which is 360p at best. One of the most interesting bits, to me, is how the light is utterly unique on the moon (in terms of photography); landscape photography becomes wildly different.
March 8, 2016
Strictly speaking it's not possible to read this coffee table book as it is a coffee table book that has no text. Instead it is a stunning set of beautiful images of our moon photographed as part of the NASA moon voyages of the late 1960s and early 1980s. It is a wonderful book which accompanied an exhibition that we attended a number of years ago at Hayward Gallery in London's South Bank.
Read
June 16, 2008This book is simply gorgeous.
Read
January 6, 2009Great picture book.
July 21, 2009
Fantastic photos, some never published anywhere else, with great commentary and explanation.
August 7, 2009
The antidote to 100 Suns this book collects some of the best photos from the US space program. These pictures are so beyond description. They give a great feeling of humanity at its best.
Want to read
October 9, 2009Read about it at http://gizmodo.com/5377509/this-is-no... and it caught my interest :)
November 17, 2011
How could you not fall in love with the Moon after seeing these pictures.
May 18, 2012
This is an amazing book. The pictures are so clear and stunning.
February 5, 2013
Pretty. Very pretty, but little content.
August 26, 2014
Glorious, huge photographs. There is really very little to say about this book. If you loved the Apollo missions and you watched Neil Armstrong take that fist step, then this book is for you.
April 25, 2016
Beautiful!
July 30, 2016
Just stunningly beautiful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews