China on Tuesday unveiled photos of the moon captured by Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo during his stay aboard the Tianhe core module of China's space station.

Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest at night, fell on Tuesday, September 21, this year.  It's an important traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates the full moon, a good harvest and family reunion.

The photos were released on Tuesday as a gift to the Chinese people. 

The three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, lived in the space station for three months before safely landing at the Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on September 17.