Artemis Photos Show Moon’s Far Side in Historic Artemis II Flyby
The first artemis photos from NASA’s Artemis II astronauts were released Tuesday, April 7, 2026, after the crew captured them during a seven-hour pass over the Moon’s far side on April 6. The images show regions no human had ever seen before, including a rare in-space solar eclipse, during what NASA described as humanity’s return to the Moon’s vicinity. The flight involved astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis Photos Capture a First Look at the Far Side
The newly released images came from the crew’s historic test flight and show the Moon in unusual detail from a perspective not visible from Earth. NASA said the astronauts observed rugged terrain, sprawling impact craters, and vast dark plains while circling the Moon for about seven hours.
The artemis photos also include a striking view of “Earthset, ” captured as Earth dipped out of sight on the opposite edge of the Moon. NASA said the image marks a rare visual moment from the lunar far side and adds to the mission’s early scientific record.
What the Crew Saw During the Flyby
NASA said the crew studied 30 science targets during the flyby, including the Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides. The basin is about 3. 8 billion years old and was formed when a large object struck the Moon’s surface.
The astronauts also examined smaller impact craters and noted that some appeared brighter than expected. Christina Koch described those features as looking like “a lampshade with tiny pinprick holes, ” while Victor Glover said he was especially struck by the jagged line between the Moon’s light and dark regions.
NASA said the crew’s observations were part of a mission designed to gather detailed notes and images from a place humans had not previously seen directly. The agency’s release emphasized that the photos reveal both scientific detail and a new visual record of the lunar environment.
Artemis Photos and the Solar Eclipse Seen From Space
One of the most unusual artemis photos shows a solar eclipse from space, taken toward the end of the flyby when the sun slipped behind the Moon. NASA said the crew became the first people to view a solar eclipse from the Moon, with the image showing the Moon darkened and the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, glowing around the edges.
The release of the images on Tuesday gave the public its first look at what the astronauts saw during the pass, turning a tightly controlled mission milestone into a vivid visual update. NASA framed the photos as part of a broader effort to explore, innovate, and inspire through discovery.
What Happens Next for Artemis II
The latest release adds momentum to Artemis II after the crew’s close lunar pass and first direct views of the far side. NASA has not added new details beyond the photo release, but the images show the mission moving into a phase where observation and analysis are now front and center.
For now, the artemis photos stand as the clearest public record of the crew’s lunar flyby and the first close encounter of this mission with a side of the Moon no human had ever seen in person.
