China’s Einstein Probe (EP) space telescope sent back X-ray images of the moon from space on Tuesday, China Media Group (CMG) reported. Tuesday marks the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important traditional holidays for the Chinese people. The X-ray image provides a unique view of the moon.

The images were taken by the Fengxingtian X-ray Telescope (FXT) on the EP satellite. The image marks the first time that Chinese scientists have obtained a comprehensive X-ray scan of the Moon using an independently developed space telescope.

Until Tuesday, only the decommissioned German X-ray space observatory called the Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory had taken images of the moon.

Compared to other X-ray satellites currently operating worldwide, FXT has a wider field of view, allowing it to image the supermoon. Its excellent X-ray resolution and high effective surface area also allow it to detect the distribution of elements on the lunar surface, such as oxygen, iron, magnesium, aluminum and silicon.

“The EP satellite has tremendous potential for a wider range of target detection and promising future applications,” said Yuan Weimin, the satellite’s chief scientist.

“The X-ray images of the lunar surface taken by FXT are of great value to lunar scientific research,” Yuan said.

Launched in January 2024, the satellite was primarily used to detect high-energy transits and track variable objects in the soft X-ray range.