NASA Releases Stunning Artemis II Earthset Eclipse Photos

NASA Releases Stunning Artemis II Earthset Eclipse Photos...

NASA unveiled breathtaking new images today showing Earth silhouetted against the sun during a rare orbital eclipse, captured by the Artemis II crew during their historic lunar flyby last week. The photos, taken on April 2, 2026, mark the first time humans have photographed an Earthset eclipse from lunar distance since the Apollo era.

The images are trending nationwide as Americans marvel at the striking visual of our planet appearing as a dark disk rimmed with sunlight. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the photos "a humbling reminder of our place in the cosmos" during a press briefing at Johnson Space Center this morning.

Artemis II astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen witnessed the eclipse during their critical systems checkout near the Moon. The crew used high-resolution cameras aboard the Orion spacecraft to document the event, which occurred as their trajectory carried them behind the Moon's shadow.

Social media platforms have been flooded with shares of the images since NASA's 7 AM ET release. The photos show Earth's nightside facing the camera, with the sun's corona creating a brilliant ring around our planet's darkened outline. Scientists note the images provide valuable data about Earth's atmosphere and solar radiation patterns.

The Artemis II mission remains on schedule for its full lunar orbit later this month, paving the way for NASA's planned 2028 Moon landing. Today's photo release comes exactly 57 years after the famous "Earthrise" image taken during Apollo 8 in 1968.

Public viewing events for the images are being organized at science museums across the country, including the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington and the California Science Center in Los Angeles. NASA officials say additional photos from the mission will be released in coming weeks as the crew continues its journey.