NASA Releases First-Ever Photo of Earth from Moon's Far Side
NASA's Artemis II mission captures historic 'Earthset' image from the moon's far side, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.
NASA has unveiled the first-ever photograph of Earth taken from the far side of the moon, captured during the Artemis II mission's lunar flyby. The image, dubbed "Earthset," shows Earth dipping beyond the lunar horizon, reminiscent of the iconic "Earthrise" photo from the 1968 Apollo 8 mission.
The Artemis II crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, became the first humans to witness parts of the moon's far side with the naked eye. During their mission, they observed a total solar eclipse from behind the moon, capturing images of the glowing solar corona and a darkened Earth in the background.
President Donald Trump commended the astronauts in a phone call, stating, "Today you've made history and made all of America really proud. Incredibly proud."
The Artemis II mission set a new deep-space travel record, reaching a distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record from 1970. The crew is now on their return journey, with a Pacific Ocean splashdown near San Diego expected by Friday.
