Four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar orbiter witnessed the moment Earth vanished behind the Moon’s horizon from the far side of the Moon.
NASA and the White House unveiled the pictures on the 7th (local time). The visuals depict a crescent-shaped blue Earth slowly disappearing behind the moon’s cratered landscape—a event referred to as “Earthset.” Artemis II achieved a crewed lunar mission after 54 years, circling the Moon. The images have been likened to the famous “Earthrise” photo captured by Apollo 8 in 1968.
The images were captured moments before Orion’s contact with Earth was lost for 40 minutes as the vehicle moved to the far side of the Moon on the 6th (local time). Once communication was interrupted, the crew marked the occasion by enjoying maple cream cookies made by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, as reported by mission commander Reid Wiseman.
A crew member named Christina Koch stated right after communication was restored, “We will always support Earth. We will always support one another.” When NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman requested her to describe the mission in a single word, Koch responded, “Humility.” She further mentioned, “Without Neil Armstrong, Katherine Johnson, civil rights activists, and all those who constructed this spacecraft, we wouldn’t be here.”
An amazing view appeared as the spacecraft came out from behind the Moon. The Sun was fully covered by the Moon, forming a circle of light around the edge of the Moon and showing the solar corona—a total solar eclipse that is seldom seen from Earth. The eclipse lasted about 54 minutes, longer than any recorded from Earth. This was the first instance when humans observed a solar eclipse from the far side of the Moon.
Pilot Victor Glover characterized the lunar landscape as “softly illuminated by Earth’s reflected light, with distinct hills and valleys visible.” Hansen remarked, “When I viewed Earth from behind the Moon, I felt as though I was no longer inside the spacecraft. It was an overwhelming experience, as if I had instantly transported to the far side of the Moon.”
During this mission, Orion covered a distance of 406,813 km from Earth, breaking the previous record for the farthest human spaceflight established by Apollo 13 in 1970 (400,431 km). Artemis II is now on its way back and is expected to land off the coast of California, United States, on the 10th.
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