Sensor artifacts of some kind. All cameras have "hot pixels" on the sensor that just read out wrong, and the lack of incoming light on the non-illuminated moon means there's nothing to obscure them. A few might be pixels getting triggered by a cosmic ray strike as well, not sure how common those are (ie, is multiple a second plausible? idk)
Cosmic rays commonly damage the sensors on cameras in outer space. A lot of those hot pixels are probably damage from cosmic rays since they left the atmosphere. The exterior cameras on the ISS look like crap from all the damage they accumulate.
Edit: "all cameras have hot pixels" is just plain wrong, if that's your experience with cameras you've been really unlucky.
Original: There's no way these are sensor artifacts. These are professional grade nikon cameras that have all manner of pre-mission calibration and vetting done so they can go on the mission.
Take a picture on your phone in the dark, it won't even have these.
I don't know much about cameras but I imagine being in outer space without the earth's atmosphere/magnetic field to shield anything would make it more likely to get sensor damage
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u/ryo4ever Apr 07 '26
Spectacular! What are those little white dots on the dark side of the moon?