As the Artemis II crew came close to passing behind the Moon and experiencing a planned loss of signal, they captured this image of a crescent Earth setting on the Moon’s limb.
The edge of the visible surface of the Moon is called the “lunar limb.” Seen from afar, it almost looks like a circular arc – except when backlit, as in other images captured by the Artemis II crew.
In this photo, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while Australia and Oceania are in the daylight. In the foreground, the Ohm crater is visible, with terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Peaks such as these form in complex craters when the lunar surface is liquified on impact, and the liquefied surface splashes upward during the crater’s formation. Credit: NASAPosted inCivil
Video: Artemis 2 flight day 6 highlights – Crew captures rare science and breaks Apollo 13 distance record during historic lunar flyby
On Flight Day 6 of the Artemis 2 mission, the crew—including CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen—completed humanity’s first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years. The Orion spacecraft officially entered the lunar sphere of influence early in the day, meaning the Moon’s gravity overtook Earth’s as the primary force acting on the capsule.
Midway through their lunar observation period, the Artemis II crew members – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – pause to turn the camera around for a selfie inside the Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA
The crew received a special morning greeting from Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell, welcoming them to the Moon. In a poignant moment shortly before passing out of communication range, the crew surpassed the Apollo 13 record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth (400,171 kilometres – 248,655 miles).
CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen taking images through the Orion spacecraft window early in the Artemis II lunar flyby. Hansen and his fellow crewmates spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the Orion windows capturing science data to share with their team back on Earth. Credit: NASA
During the 40-minute communication blackout behind the Moon, the crew continued to execute a demanding science timeline, capturing high-resolution images of impact flashes and observing a rare solar eclipse from the lunar perspective. Upon re-emerging, they beamed back spectacular images of “Earthrise,” noting the stark contrast between the bright Moon and deep space.
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth. Credit: NASA
Following their successful lunar observations, the crew received a congratulatory call from U.S. President Donald Trump and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. With the flyby complete, Orion is now officially on its return trajectory to Earth.
Marc Boucher is an entrepreneur, writer, editor, podcaster and publisher. He is the founder of SpaceQ Media. Marc has 30+ years working in various roles in media, space sector not-for-profits, and internet content development.
Marc started his first Internet creator content business in 1992 and hasn't looked back. When not working Marc loves to explore Canada, the world and document nature through his photography.
