NASA Releases Photos of Earthset and Solar Eclipse from Artemis II Lunar Mission

NASA released photographs taken by the Artemis II crew on April 7, 2025, depicting Earth setting behind the lunar horizon, termed an "Earthset," and a total solar eclipse observed from the Moon's vicinity. The images were captured during the mission's lunar flyby on April 6, 2025, as the Orion spacecraft orbited the Moon.

The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

This mission represents NASA's first crewed flight to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Earthset photo shows the blue crescent of Earth dipping below the gray, pockmarked lunar surface, shortly before the crew entered a 40-minute radio blackout while passing the Moon's far side.

A second image captures the solar eclipse, with the Moon blocking the Sun, revealing the Sun's atmosphere as a halo around the lunar rim and including visible stars, planets such as Saturn and Venus, and softly lit lunar terrain.

The Artemis II mission launched on April 4, 2025, and achieved a record distance from Earth for a crewed spacecraft, surpassing previous human spaceflight records.

The flyby served as a test for systems ahead of Artemis III, planned for a lunar landing in 2027. The crew is scheduled to return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 11, 2025. The Earthset image draws direct comparison to the Earthrise photograph taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968, during the first human lunar orbit.

Apollo 8, crewed by Frank Borman, James Lovell, and Anders, orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve and returned on December 27, 1968. That image has been recognized as a symbol in the environmental movement. Artemis II's photos were released by NASA and the White House on April 7, 2025.

The mission's success advances NASA's Artemis program goals of sustainable lunar presence and preparation for Mars exploration.

members described the views upon regaining communication after the blackout.

“We will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.”

Victor Glover noted the challenge of photographing the eclipse, with Earth's glow illuminating lunar features.

“Humans probably have not evolved to see what we’re seeing. It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing.”

These observations highlight the mission's unique vantage points, unseen by prior human explorers.