See the stunning photos of the moon and Earth captured by Artemis II astronauts
In this image provided by NASA, The Artemis II crew captured this view of an Earthset on Monday, April 6, 2026, as they flew around the Moon. (NASA via AP)Uncredited/Associated Press
HOUSTON (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts are now forever intertwined with Apollo 8.
A day after the historic lunar flyaround, NASA on Tuesday released striking photos taken by the US-Canadian crew.
The four astronauts channeled Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968 with their own: Earthset, showing our planet setting behind the gray, pockmarked moon. Another photo captures the total solar eclipse that occurred when the moon blocked the sun from the crew’s perspective.
A photo provided by NASA shows Reid Wiseman, commander of the Artemis II mission, peering through a window of the Orion Integrity spacecraft during the flyby around the far side of the Moon.NASA/NYT
The three Americans and one Canadian are now headed home, with a splashdown in the Pacific set for Friday.
Apollo 8’s three astronauts became the world’s first lunar visitors, orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve 1968. Their Earthrise shot became a symbol of the modern-day environmental movement.
Artemis II marks NASA’s first return to the moon with astronauts — a critical step toward a lunar landing by another crew in two years.
A photo provided by NASA shows a solar eclipse, captured by the Artemis II crew from the Orion Integrity spacecraft during their flyby around the far side of the Moon on Monday evening, April 6. On the sixth day of the mission, 248,655 miles from Earth, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, ventured farther from home than any human being who has ever lived.NASA/NYT
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth moves out from behind the Moon, top, during a lunar flyby.Uncredited/Associated Press
A photo provided by NASA shows an Earthset, captured by the Artemis II crew from the Orion Integrity spacecraft during their flyby around the far side of the Moon.NASA/NYT
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view of the Earth next to the Moon before Earthset during a lunar flyby.Uncredited/Associated Press
A photo provided by NASA shows a view of the Vavilov Crater, center, and the older and larger Hertzsprung Basin, right, on the far side of the Moon during the Artemis II flyby on Monday evening, April 6.NASA/NYT
In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view of the Earth next to the Moon before Earthset.Uncredited/Associated Press
