NASA releases the first photos from the Artemis II mission: Stunning shot shows the moon eclipsing the SUN – while ‘Earthset’ is a nod to Apollo’s famous ‘Earthrise’ image
NASA published the first photos taken by the Artemis II moon mission.
The first image, titled ‘Earth Sunset’, was taken from the far side of the moon and shows the Earth tilting beyond the lunar horizon.
This is a nod to Earthrise, the famous photo taken by NASA’s Apollo 8 mission more than 50 years ago.
‘The Artemis II crew captured this image of the Earth while flying around the Moon on April 6, 2026. NASA explained in X: The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years ago as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon.
The second photo, titled ‘Artemis II Eclipse’, shows the moment when the moon shadows the sun.
The White House said ‘Integrity beyond Earth’ while sharing the photo in X. ‘From lunar orbit, the Moon eclipses the Sun, revealing a sight few have witnessed in human history.’
The images were released hours after NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen became the first people to tour the far side of the moon in more than 50 years.
The first image, titled ‘Earth Sunset’, was taken from the far side of the moon and shows the Earth tilting beyond the lunar horizon.
The second photo, titled ‘Artemis II Eclipse’, shows the moment when the moon shadows the sun.
The Artemis II crew reached more than 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth during the six-hour lunar flight, setting a new record by exceeding the distance reached by the Apollo missions.
In doing so, they became the first people to see the far side of the moon with the naked eye in half a decade.
Viewed from its position 41,072 miles (66,098 km) above the lunar surface, the moon appeared as large as a basketball held at arm’s length.
After the White House shared the new Earthset image, space fans flocked to X to discuss it.
‘We are small. ‘This is incredible,’ one user replied.
Another added: ‘Humanity needs to leave Earth to remember what Earth is.’
And someone wrote: ‘This is the most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen.’
Meanwhile, the Artemis II Eclipse photo was described as ‘absolutely breathtaking’ by one viewer.
‘Earthset’ is a nice nod to Earthrise, the famous photograph taken by NASA’s Apollo 8 mission more than 50 years ago (pictured)
Another said: ‘Absolutely surreal… Seeing the Sun disappear from orbit behind the Moon is something only a handful of people have witnessed!’
And someone joked: ‘This is absolutely mind-blowing, it almost doesn’t seem real. These brave astronauts are living their dreams right now, they are so jealous!!!’
As the astronauts passed by the far side of the moon, they recorded as much as they could of the surface below, taking photographs, making sketches, and making audio recordings of their own observations.
The far side of the Moon looks very different from its familiar near side, with heavily cratered terrain, thicker crust, and far less dark volcanic plains visible from Earth.
While scanning the far side of the Orion capsule, astronauts reported seeing striking geometric patterns, winding formations they called ‘squiggles’ and unexpected shades of green and brown across the rugged lunar terrain.
Although satellites have captured images of the far side of the moon, some of these features have never been visible to the human eye.
In particular, astronauts detected newly formed craters on the lunar surface that stood out like tiny holes in a lampshade.
Christina Koch told the NASA control room: ‘All the really bright, new craters, some super small, most quite small, there are a few that really stand out, and frankly, what’s really visible is a lampshade with little pinprick holes and light shining through.’
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen made a special request to NASA mission control to name two of these new craters that they ‘observed with both the naked eye and our long lens’.
He wanted the first to be named Integrity, after the name astronauts gave to the Orion crew capsule, and the other he named Carroll, to commemorate Reid Wiseman’s late wife, who died of cancer in 2020.
In an emotional tribute, Mr Hansen said: ‘We started this journey a few years ago… and we lost someone we loved, and there’s a feature in a really beautiful place on the moon… we’ll be able to see it from Earth at certain times of the Moon’s transit around the Earth.’
While the announcement brought astronauts to embrace, mission control in Houston fell silent in a rare moment of reflection.
After passing the Moon, the Orion crew capsule will return home under the influence of Earth’s gravity in the coming days, with splashdown expected on Friday.
Their final test will be a dramatic re-entry into the planet’s atmosphere as the capsule slams into the atmosphere at 25,000 miles per hour (40,200 km/h) before deploying its parachutes and descending into the Pacific Ocean.
