The Artemis 2 crew spent seven hours observing the Moon on April 6. Here is what they saw.
By Brooks Mendenhall |
Published: April 7, 2026 | Last updated on April 9, 2026
Earth sets behind the Moon as photographed by the Artemis 2 crew. Credit: NASA
Yesterday, the four-person Artemis 2 crew completed the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972, passing within roughly 4,067 miles of the lunar surface before turning back toward Earth.
The seven-hour observation window began as Orion crossed into the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence late Sunday and ended with one of the most dramatic views any astronaut has ever witnessed.
As the spacecraft swept behind the Moon, the crew photographed the lunar farside — its impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface ridges — terrain no human eye had seen from this close in over half a century. As Orion emerged, the Moon, Sun, and spacecraft aligned perfectly. The crew experienced nearly an hour of solar eclipse totality, during which they imaged the corona and scanned the darkened lunar surface, spotting several meteoroid impact flashes glowing against the Moon’s earthshine-lit surface.
Here are the most compelling images from humanity’s closest look at the Moon in more than half a century.
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During the seven-hour lunar flyby, the Artemis 2 crew rotated through positions and responsibilities in shifts, ensuring fresh eyes on the windows at all times and a steady stream of images, video, and recorded observations throughout the observation window. Back at Mission Control, the mission's scientists gathered to advise and consult, aiming for the crew's data to directly inform the future of lunar research. Here, Commander Reid Wiseman takes his place at the window just as his first observation period begins, the Moon filling the view beyond. Wiseman and his crew were trained to document terrain features, note differences in color, brightness, and texture, and describe what they saw in real time for the science team on the ground. Credit: NASAThe lunar observation period began at 2:45 p.m. EDT, and within hours, the crew was already delivering the real-time science NASA had hoped for. At 3:41 p.m. EDT, they captured this striking view of the Orientale basin — one of the Moon's youngest and best-preserved large impact craters. Directly to the northwest are two smaller craters that the crew has proposed naming Integrity and Carroll. Carroll is a tribute to the late wife of Commander Reid Wiseman. The images and recordings from the flyby will help scientists refine models of crater formation and better understand the Moon's geologic history. Credit: NASAAt 6:41 p.m. EDT — just three minutes before Integrity slipped behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes — the crew captured this Earthset, the moment Earth drops below the lunar horizon. In the foreground, Ohm crater is visible, the signature of a massive ancient impact. In the background, a partially darkened Earth disappears behind the lunar edge, its day side revealing clouds over Australia and Oceania.Another angle on Earthset, shot through the Integrity window. Earth sinks further behind the lunar terrain below. Credit: NASAAt 7:22 p.m. EDT — just 41 minutes after Earthset — the crew witnessed Earthrise. Orion had spent 40 minutes sweeping silently across the lunar farside, completely out of contact with the ground, before Earth crept back into view on the other side. Shot with a 400mm lens, it appears as a delicate crescent, only its upper edge catching sunlight, cloud systems faintly visible along the illuminated arc. Credit: NASASafety is paramount when viewing an eclipse — even from the Moon. As Orion swept around the Moon, the spacecraft, Moon, and Sun aligned perfectly, plunging the crew into the Moon's shadow and producing a total solar eclipse unlike any seen on Earth. From their vantage point, the Moon appeared five times larger than the Sun. The crew reached for eclipse glasses that will look familiar to anyone who has viewed an eclipse back home. The crew only needed the glasses as the Sun slipped behind and reemerged from behind the lunar limb — during totality itself, the Moon blocked the Sun entirely. Credit: NASAThe crew experienced nearly an hour of totality that revealed stars normally hidden by the Moon's shine. Earthshine — sunlight bouncing off Earth and back onto the Moon — faintly illuminated the darkened lunar surface while the solar corona appeared as a faint, fuzzy halo at the edge. Credit: NASAThis eclipse image, taken from Integrity, shows off a tighter crop of totality. The Moon's disk extends beyond the frame as it blocks the Sun entirely. The corona appears as a soft halo around the lunar edge. At left, a bright pinpoint of light is Venus. Along the Moon's horizon, earthshine — sunlight reflected off Earth — faintly illuminates Mare Crisium, a dark volcanic plain visible from Earth with the naked eye. Credit: NASAThe eclipse draws to a close. After nearly an hour of totality, sunlight begins creeping back around the lunar edge — a bright sliver breaking the darkness as the Sun and Moon slide out of alignment. At this point, Integrity had begun its journey home. Credit: NASA
