Artemis II Crew Photographs 54-Minute Eclipse from the Moon

For the first time in more than half a century, humans have circled the far side of the moon and witnessed views no one on Earth could ever see.

The Artemis II crew of four astronauts spent days documenting the lunar surface through their spacecraft windows, snapping thousands of photos during their historic flyby. They'll splash down off the coast of California on Friday, completing humanity's return to deep space.

The mission's most breathtaking moment came when the moon completely blocked the sun from their perspective. Unlike total solar eclipses on Earth that last just minutes, the astronauts experienced nearly 54 minutes of totality. The sun's corona glowed like a halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the sun's outer atmosphere normally hidden by its brightness.

The crew captured Earth rising behind the moon's cratered surface, showing our blue planet dotted with white clouds against the darkness of space. They photographed the boundary between lunar day and night, where low-angle sunlight cast dramatic shadows across craters and ridges. They even documented the Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the moon's near and far sides.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch flew alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Glover peered out the Orion spacecraft's windows as Earth shrank behind them. Koch prepped for the flyby after exercising on the spacecraft's flywheel device.

The crew made geological observations of lunar features with their own eyes, studying places of interest for future missions. Everything they documented helps pave the way for the next giant leap.

Why This Inspires

This mission proves that deep space exploration isn't just history. It's happening right now. The Artemis II astronauts are bringing back more than photos. They're bringing back proof that humanity is ready to explore beyond Earth's orbit again, this time with more diverse crews and better technology than ever before.

NASA says a landing on the lunar surface won't happen until 2028 at the earliest, but this flyby shows we're on our way. The moon is calling us back, and this time, we're bringing everyone along for the journey.