
ALT Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew\u2019s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth\u2019s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region.\nIn the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater\u2019s formation. Credit: NASA

ALT In this view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth), is visible at the top half of the Moon disk. It is identifiable by the dark splotches. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the Moon\u2019s history when it was volcanically active. The large crater that appears below the lava flows, dark in the center, is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon\u2019s near and far sides as is partly visible from Earth on the edge of the Moon. In this image, we have a full view of the crater. Everything below the crater is the far side, the hemisphere we don\u2019t get to see from Earth because the Moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits round us. Credit: NASA

ALT A full disk image of Earth, as seen from the Orion capsule. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. From about 8 to 9 o'clock, a large brown landmass is Africa, with the Iberian peninsula twinkling with lights just where the planet curves. At the 1 o'clock spot, aurora glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space. Credit: NASA/Reid Weisman

ALT One-third of Earth peeking through the window of the Orion capsule. The planet is a dreamy pale blue, swirling with white clouds and reflected sunlight. Although Earth only fills a fraction of the image it is the brightest object in the image by far. The capsule window is surrounded by a thick frame held in place with bolts, reminiscent of a heavy duty airplane window. It is dark in the capsule, but the outlines of straps and various components of the capsule are visible. Brighter white components are visible in the upper right corner. Credit: NASA/Reid Weisman



















