Artemis II Delivers Never-Before-Seen Views of the Moon

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

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have captured stunning first images of the Moon during their historic flyby—revealing regions no human has ever seen, including a rare solar eclipse from space. Taken April 6 during a seven-hour pass over the Moon’s far side, the photos highlight humanity’s return to deep space and provide valuable scientific data.

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.  Image Credit: NASA

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen used multiple cameras to capture thousands of images, with more expected as they continue their journey back to Earth. The team documented craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures, while also observing Earthrise, Earthset, and flashes from meteoroid impacts.

Scientists are now analyzing the data to better understand the Moon’s geology and support future missions—paving the way for long-term lunar exploration and eventually, human missions to Mars.