NASA released a spectacular new image of the Earth from the moon

From the surface of the moon, the Earth never rises or sets. 

Our satellite is locked in place by our planet's gravity, so only one side is ever visible. This is why we can never see the dark side of the moon. 

From the view of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), however, it can look like the Earth is rising above the surface of the moon.

The spacecraft took this stunning photo, which NASA released December 18:  

NASA

Here's how they did it, as explained by Mark Robinson of Arizona State University in Tempe, principal investigator for LROC: