The Earth at Eclipse

 

What's so stunning about this photo from the Artemis Lunar crew?

It's not just just a photo taken from near the #Moon. Looks like it, but no--it's much more!

The crescent of light you see is from the sunlit far side of Earth, and this is an engineered eclipse. This is the night side, lit by moonlight. Don't believe it? Look for the city lights and green auroras on both poles. Whoaaaa!

How did they do it? They planned their orbit to use the Earth to eclipse the sun. This was only possible to do given their trajectory on one day. When you see an eclipse on Earth, it's the Moon that blocks the sun. For the first time ever, our Artemis crew passed exactly where the Earth would block the Sun. 

America Returns to the Moon!

Following a picture-perfect launch on April 1, the crew of three American and one Canadian astronauts embarked on the 'shakedown cruise' to validate the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket for the landings on the Moon in just two years. 

The mission generally followed the flight path used by Apollo 8, which flew around the Moon on Christmas Eve and resulted in the iconic 'earthrise' photo. This time, the astronauts captured images of 'earthset' and even a solar eclipse using the Moon to obscure the sun. 

Their photographs of the far side revealed new and more detailed features never seen with human eyes.

Three years ago, Artemis 1 flew without crew around the Moon; the essential test before trusting humans with the spacecraft.

As the first crewed mission, everything worked exceptionally well, except for an issue with the space toilet, which was repaired. 

Now, our crew is returning to Earth, where they'll get medical checks, be debriefed, and reunite with their families. In coming days and weeks, they will give many interviews and public appearances, and tell their story.