NASA's Artemis II mission has delivered a rare and emotional view of Earth from deep space. Commander Reid Wiseman shared striking footage from April 6 showing an "Earthset" during a lunar flyby, where Earth slowly disappeared behind the Moon.
NASA Artemis 2: Earth Slowly Vanishes Behind the Moon
The video shows a powerful space scene. The Moon's rough and cratered surface appears in the foreground, while Earth looks like a glowing blue-and-white sphere in the distance. As the spacecraft moved forward, Earth gradually reduced into a thin crescent of light before completely disappearing behind the Moon's edge, known as the lunar limb.
This rare moment occurred when the Artemis II crew travelled over the far side of the Moon. From this region, the Moon blocks Earth from view, creating a dramatic visual effect where the planet seems to vanish. Later, Earth reappeared as the spacecraft continued its orbit, giving astronauts a reverse "Earthrise" view.
NASA Artemis 2: Wiseman Calls It a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
Reid Wiseman described the moment as deeply personal and unforgettable. He said, "Only one chance in this lifetime… Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos, I couldn't resist a cell phone video of Earthset."
He added that the experience felt like watching a sunset from the most unfamiliar place in the universe. Wiseman also noted that the spacecraft reached its farthest distance from Earth, about 252,756 miles away, setting a new record for human spaceflight distance.
NASA Artemis 2: How Astronauts Captured the Moment?
Inside the Orion spacecraft, astronaut Christina Koch captured high-resolution images using a 400mm lens with 3-shot bracketing. Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen observed the view through nearby windows, while Wiseman recorded the scene using an iPhone.
He explained, "I could barely see the Moon through the docking hatch window, but the iPhone was the perfect size to catch the view… this is uncropped, uncut with 8x zoom, which is quite comparable to the view of the human eye."
NASA Artemis 2: Rare Event Last Seen During Apollo Era
Such "Earthset" visuals are extremely rare and were last observed during NASA's Apollo missions over five decades ago. The Artemis II crew also experienced a reverse "Earthrise" and even witnessed a solar eclipse from space.
NASA's Artemis II mission continues to provide valuable insights into deep space travel and future lunar exploration under the Artemis program, bringing humanity closer to long-duration missions beyond Earth.