Watch: NASA has released stunning views of the moon, and they almost look better than being there

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been gathering images of the moon since 2009. Nine years later, all that footage has been combined into this single breathtaking video (above) in high resolution.

Although Elon Musk’s SpaceX is offering moon-viewing trips soon, these views, made possible by cameras on the LRO zooming in and out, are nothing like those that human eyes can ever hope to see.

NASA explains: “As the visualisation moves around the near side, far side, north and south poles, we highlight interesting features, sites, and information gathered on the lunar terrain.”