Here are NASA’s inaugural images captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby, and they are breathtaking.
The Earth descends as the Artemis II crew vanishes behind the moon’s hidden face.(Image credit: NASA)Subscribe to our newsletter
NASA has unveiled its initial collection of photographs taken by the Artemis II astronauts during their groundbreaking orbital journey around the moon’s far side.
The premier image, titled “Earthset,” depicts our home planet receding behind the moon’s cratered surface, evoking memories of the iconic “Earthrise” photograph captured by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders in 1968. A creeping shadow marks the boundary of our planet’s night side, where countless individuals were asleep as the Artemis II mission achieved a historic milestone.
“Earthset.” The planet recedes as the Artemis II crew passes behind the moon’s far side. (Image credit: NASA)
Complementing this, a second newly released image showcases a spectacular solar eclipse observed as the astronauts maneuvered behind the moon — affording them approximately 40 minutes of complete radio blackout to appreciate the vista.
“While we were on the far side of the moon, gazing back at Earth, it truly felt as though we were not confined to a capsule,” stated Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. “It was as if we had been transported to the moon’s hidden hemisphere. It profoundly altered our perception. It was an unparalleled human experience, and we are immensely appreciative of it.”
Subtle emanations from the sun’s corona and Earth’s luminescence are visible around the lunar disk as the Artemis II crew experiences totality behind its obscured side. (Image credit: NASA)
The Artemis II crew members are the first individuals in history to witness a solar eclipse from behind the moon. The period of totality — when the sun is completely obscured by the lunar disk — extended for approximately one hour. During this interval, the astronauts reported observing bright celestial bodies, including Mars, Venus, and Saturn, along with numerous stars.
A faint radiance from Earth’s light and delicate tendrils of the sun’s corona, which they described as resembling “baby hairs,” became apparent at the periphery of the lunar disk. (To safely observe the sun’s re-emergence, the crew utilized solar eclipse glasses, mirroring practices on Earth.)
“This experience continues to be surreal,” remarked Artemis II pilot Victor Glover at one juncture during the seven-hour flyby. “The sun vanished behind the moon, yet the corona remained visible, forming a brilliant halo around nearly the entire moon. Earth appeared incredibly luminous in the distance, with the moon suspended directly before us.”
Half of the moon’s far hemisphere experiences a total solar eclipse. (Image credit: NASA)”One could plummet directly into the moon’s core”
This orbital maneuver positioned Glover, Hansen, mission specialist Christina Koch, and commander Reid Wiseman as the first humans ever to behold the entirety of the lunar far side — an accomplishment unattainable during the Apollo missions due to their trajectory paths.
“My, am I enjoying the terminator,” Glover communicated to mission control, referring to the boundary separating day and night on the moon. “There is an abundance of wonder along the terminator — illuminated islands, and valleys that resemble black voids. One could fall directly into the moon’s center if they stepped into some of those formations. It is simply mesmerizing visually.”
Low-angle sunlight casts extended shadows near the moon’s terminator line — the demarcation between lunar day and night. (Image credit: NASA)
Adjacent to the terminator, the crew identified two novel lunar craters, which they proposed be named Integrity, reflecting the capsule’s official call sign, and Carroll, in tribute to Wiseman’s late wife.
At the 10 o’clock position relative to the Orientale basin, the two diminutive craters suggested by the Artemis II crew for naming, Integrity and Carroll, are visible. (Image credit: NASA)
During the flyby, the crew expressed astonishment at the greenish and brownish tones across the moon’s surface, documenting previously unobserved craters and identifying new ones forming from multiple impact flashes as meteors struck the lunar landscape. All these observations, along with the images they hand-recorded using smartphones, were transmitted back to NASA’s lunar and planetary scientists to aid in investigating critical clues regarding the formation of the moon and Earth.
The orbital maneuver propelled the astronauts to a maximum distance of 252,760 miles (406,777 kilometers) from Earth, surpassing the prior record for the farthest human reach by approximately 4,100 miles (6,600 km).
Similar to the two dozen other astronauts who have journeyed to the moon, the crew conveyed that their perspectives were transformed by what they witnessed.
The four Artemis II astronauts were the first humans to observe a solar eclipse from the moon’s far side with the naked eye (while wearing protective eclipse glasses, naturally). (Image credit: NASA)
“Possessing that viewpoint, and contrasting it with our home planet, Earth, serves as a potent reminder of our shared humanity,” Koch remarked. “Everything we require is supplied by Earth, which is, in a sense, a marvel, and something one cannot fully grasp until experiencing the perspective from elsewhere.”
The complete collection of NASA’s initial release can be viewed here.
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