{"id":15338,"date":"2026-04-07T18:02:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-artemis-ii-crew-beams-official-moon-flyby-photos-to-earth\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T18:02:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T22:02:46","slug":"nasas-artemis-ii-crew-beams-official-moon-flyby-photos-to-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/nasas-artemis-ii-crew-beams-official-moon-flyby-photos-to-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Artemis II Crew Beams Official Moon Flyby Photos to Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Artemis II Crew Beams Official Moon Flyby Photos to Earth<\/h2>\n

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The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft on Monday, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon\u2019s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The first flyby images of the Moon captured by NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronauts during their historic test flight reveal some regions no human has seen, including a rare in-space solar eclipse. Released Tuesday, astronauts captured the images April 6 during the mission\u2019s seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side, showing humanity\u2019s return to the Moon\u2019s vicinity and opening a trove of scientific data.<\/p>\n

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, have used a fleet of cameras to take thousands of photos. The agency released several images, with more expected in the coming days as the crew members are more than halfway through their journey and now headed home toward Earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur four Artemis II astronauts \u2014 Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy \u2014 took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come,\u201d said Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington.<\/p>\n

During the lunar flyby, the crew documented impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures that will help scientists study the Moon\u2019s geologic evolution. They monitored color, brightness, and texture differences across the terrain, observed an earthset and earthrise, and captured solar\u2011eclipse views of the Sun\u2019s corona. The crew also reported six meteoroid impact flashes on the darkened lunar surface.<\/p>\n

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Peeking at Earth<\/div>\n
As NASA\u2019s Artemis II crew came close to passing behind the Moon and experiencing a planned loss of signal on Monday, April 6, 2026, they captured this image of a crescent Earth setting on the Moon\u2019s limb. In this photo, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while Australia and Oceania are in the daylight. In the foreground, the Ohm crater is visible, with terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Peaks such as these form in complex craters when the lunar surface is liquified on impact, and the liquefied surface splashes upward during the crater\u2019s formation.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Setting Earth<\/div>\n
The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during NASA\u2019s Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft and its crew went behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes before emerging on the other side. In this image, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while on its day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater shows terraced edges and a relatively flat floor marked by central peaks \u2014 formed when the surface rebounded upward during the impact that created the crater.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Shadows Across Vavilov Crater<\/div>\n
A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin on Monday, April 6, 2026. The right portion of the image shows the transition from smooth material within an inner ring of mountains to more rugged terrain around the rim. Vavilov and other craters and their ejecta are accentuated by long shadows at the terminator, the boundary between lunar day and night. The image was captured with a handheld camera at a focal length of 400 mm, as the crew flew around the far side of the Moon.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Artemis Era Earthrise<\/div>\n
Earthrise captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 7:22 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew\u2019s flyby of the Moon\u2019s far side. Earth appears as a delicate crescent, with only its upper edge illuminated. The planet\u2019s soft blue hue and scattered white cloud systems stand out against the blackness of space, while the lower portion fades into night. Taken with a 400 mm lens, the image, Earthrise, reveals a striking alignment of Earth and Moon, with the Moon in the top foreground and the Earth below. Along the lunar horizon, rugged terrain is silhouetted against the bright crescent Earth. Both bodies are oriented with their north poles to the left and south poles to the right, offering a unique perspective of our home planet from deep space. This photo was rotated 90 degrees clockwise for standard viewing orientation. <\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Artemis II in Eclipse<\/div>\n
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew\u2019s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun\u2019s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity\u2019s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Artemis II Total Solar Eclipse, Partial Frame<\/div>\n
A close-up view from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II crew\u2019s lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, 2026, captures a total solar eclipse, with only part of the Moon visible in the frame as it fully obscures the Sun. Although the full lunar disk extends beyond the image, the Sun\u2019s faint corona remains visible as a soft halo of light around the Moon\u2019s edge. From this deep-space vantage point, the Moon appeared large enough to sustain nearly 54 minutes of totality, far longer than total solar eclipses typically seen from Earth. This cropped perspective emphasizes the scale of the alignment and reveals subtle structure in the corona during the rare, extended eclipse observed by the crew. The bright silver glint on the left edge of the image is the planet Venus. The round, dark gray feature visible along the Moon\u2019s horizon between the 9 and 10 o\u2019clock positions is Mare Crisium, a feature visible from Earth. We see faint lunar features because light reflected off of Earth provides a source of illumination.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Earthset<\/div>\n
Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew\u2019s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth\u2019s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater\u2019s formation.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Final Flyby Preparations<\/div>\n
NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepare for their journey around the far side of the Moon by configuring their camera equipment shortly before beginning the Artemis II lunar flyby observations.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
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Ready for Close Up<\/div>\n
Captured by the Artemis II crew, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen with the shadowed terminator \u2013 the boundary between lunar day and night \u2013 at the top of the image. The South Pole-Aitken basin is the largest and oldest basin on the Moon, providing a glimpse into an ancient geologic history built up over billions of years.<\/div>\n
Credit: NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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