Back Original

Lunar Flyby

art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during...

art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s 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’s 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’s formation.

art002e009281 (April 6, 2026) – The Artemis II crew captures a portion of the Moon coming into view along the...

015A9798.NEF

art002e009287 (April 6, 2026) – Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in...

015B0524.NEF

art002e009301 (April 6, 2026) – Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this...

019A0860.NEF

art002e009298 (April 6, 2026) – A close-up view from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II crew’s lunar flyby on...

In this photo, we see a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk. The science community is investigating whether this effect is due to the corona, zodiacal light, or a combination of the two. 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. The bright silver glint on the left edge of the image is the planet Venus. The round, dark gray feature visible along the Moon’s horizon between the 9 and 10 o’clock 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.

art002e009289 (April 6, 2026) – The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II...

015B0569.NEF

art002e009562 (April 6, 2026) - The Orion spacecraft is seen in the foreground lit up by the Sun. A waxing...

cmasaw3_20260406191824.JPG

art002e009294 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen prepare for...

IMG_0250.DNG

art002e009567 (April 6, 2026) - NASA’s Orion spacecraft captures the Moon and the Earth in one frame during the Artemis...

cmasaw3_20260406223414_017.JPG

art002e009573 (April 6, 2026) - The Moon, seen here backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse on April 6,...

cmasaw3_20260407011150.JPG

art002e009283 (April 6, 2026) – Captured by the Artemis II crew, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of...

015B0045.NEF

art002e009299 (April 6, 2026) – Captured from the Orion spacecraft near the end of the Artemis II lunar flyby on...

015B2552.NEF

art002e009302 (April 6, 2026) – The Artemis II crew – Mission Specialist Christina Koch (top left), Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen...

IMG_0271.DNG

art002e009284 (April 6, 2026) – Earth appears tiny as the Moon looms large in this photo taken by the Artemis...

015B0071.NEF

art002e009282 (April 6, 2026) - A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim...

015A9942.NEF

art002e009293 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch gather images and observations of...

019A1290.NEF

art002e009279 (April 6, 2026) – During their lunar flyby observation period, the Artemis II crew captured this image at 3:41...

015A7981.NEF

art002e009295 (April 6, 2026) – Astronaut Jeremy Hansen captures an image through the camera shroud covering window 2 of the...

IMG_0261.DNG

art002e009571 (April 6, 2026) - The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion...

The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on 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’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.

art002e009280 (April 6, 2026) – Earthrise captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 7:22 p.m. ET during the Artemis II...

015B1036.NEF

art002e009566 (April 6, 2026) - NASA’s Orion spacecraft is seen in the foreground, lit up by the Sun. A first...

cmasaw3_20260406215024.JPG

art002e009278 (April 6, 2026) - Just over half of the Moon fills the left half of the image. The near...

015A7430.NEF

art002e009290 (April 6, 2026) – Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft just as...

017A6989.NEF

art002e009296 (April 6, 2026) – Midway through their lunar observation period, the Artemis II crew members – Reid Wiseman, Victor...

IMG_0264.DNG

art002e009285 (April 6, 2026) – Our planet draws closer to passing behind the Moon in this image captured by the...

015B0281.NEF

art002e009292 (April 6, 2026) – CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen taking...

019A1191.NEF

art002e009277 (April 6, 2026) - In this view of the Moon, taken by the Artemis II crew at 2:19 p.m....

015A7244.NEF

art002e009575 (April 6, 2026) - The Sun is rising at the left edge of the Moon, ending a nearly one-hour...

cmasaw3_20260407012240_013.JPG