Hot take on the moon landing footage I saw at a convention last month

I was at a science museum in Denver and they had this exhibit comparing the original 1969 broadcast to the enhanced digital version from 2009. The shadows in the original go in different directions in the same shot, but the 2009 version has them all lined up straight. They say it's just lighting trickery from the lunar surface, but the difference is pretty obvious when you see them side by side. My buddy thinks it's proof of a studio shoot on a sound stage, but I'm leaning toward the NASA explanation about uneven ground. Has anyone else looked at this specific before and after and come away with a different take?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael69315h ago

Wait, didn't I see that same exhibit and walk away thinking I was losing my mind? I kept squinting at those shadow angles like some kind of idiot detective. Look, I get why your buddy goes straight to sound stage, cause the difference is nuts. But I also remember dropping my phone on my own foot once and blaming the floor, so maybe I'm not the best judge of evidence. The uneven ground explanation makes sense if you think about it like a bumpy parking lot at night. Still, it's fun to poke at the official story, even if I end up looking like a fool in the comments.

patriciaellis9h ago

Honestly that bumpy parking lot comparison is exactly what I tell people who visit the exhibit.

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joelthomas14h ago

Did you try looking up a photo of the Apollo 11 landing site taken recently by the LRO orbiter? The ground really is that uneven and cratered, which would mess with shadows the same way a sloped driveway does at sunset. Seeing those real surface pics side by side with the 1969 footage made the official explanation click for me.