AIT Lunar Atlas Pro
Turn your Moon photo into an explorable atlas. AIT detects the disc and compares visible surface details with its local reference before placing craters, maria and mission markers on the image.
Photo → match → landmarks
Load a lunar image. Review the match result. Explore the overlay and the story behind each feature.
The photo analysis runs in AIT. NASA Moon Trek opens separately when you choose to explore its online map.
Quick start: identify a Moon photo
- Open AIT Lunar Atlas Pro from the AIT tool list and choose Load lunar image.
- Select a Moon photo. AIT starts recognition automatically: it finds the disc and compares image details with its local lunar atlas. You can use Analyze loaded image to run the comparison again.
- When the match is reliable, inspect the markers placed on the actual photo. Hover to preview a target's name and type; click a marker to read its details and historical note.
- Use Show overlay on loaded photo, Opacity, Overlay mode and the Craters, Maria and Missions filters to choose how much detail you see.
- Open the Atlas or Missions tab to browse features. Select a near-side target to highlight it when its overlay category is enabled; far-side targets appear in the catalogue but cannot appear on a near-side photo.
If the image is difficult to match
Try a sharper photo with a larger visible portion of the lunar disc, then choose Analyze loaded image. If you can recognize features yourself, Manual correction (optional) lets you adjust rotation or mirroring, refine the disc and mark at least three known landmarks for a fitted overlay. Check marker positions against the photo after a manual fit.
Go beyond the overlay
| Where | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Overview | Inspect the loaded photo, feature notes and the phase-aware atlas preview. The phase slider changes the simulated preview and guidance; it does not edit your photo. |
| Atlas / Missions | Browse lunar formations and mission sites. Select an item for context; visible near-side targets can be spotlighted on the matched image. |
| Timelapse / Report | Work with a lunar video, create a local timelapse, refresh the report or save it as text. When you load a video, AIT analyzes its first frame. |
| Export social card | Create a shareable lunar image after checking the selected feature and framing. |
Explore the Moon in 3D with NASA Moon Trek
Choose Explore Moon in 3D (Moon Trek) in Lunar Atlas Pro. AIT opens NASA's lunar map in a separate viewer. This is an interactive NASA map, not a 3D conversion of your loaded photo.
- Drag to rotate the globe and scroll to zoom. If you see a flat map, choose 3D view on the AIT bar.
- In NASA's map, use Basemaps → Nomenclature to show feature names, then Fly To to search for a crater such as Copernicus.
- For a closer study, NASA's menu offers tools such as Calculate Distance and Crater Elevation Profile. Their placement may change as NASA updates Moon Trek.
- Use the AIT bar's Guide for step-by-step help, Reload if the map stalls, or Open in browser when the embedded view has trouble.
NASA provides the map and its controls. See the Moon Trek application and NASA's illustrated Moon Trek activity (PDF).
Updated 2026-09-26