Eclipsed: A View from Orion, Artemis II

Solar eclipse, Saturn, Mars, Earthshine, and Orion. One photograph. April 6, 2026. The Moon passes directly in front of the Sun during the Artemis II flyby, and the crew captured this from Orion. The spacecraft is visible on the left foreground. The Moon's disk is backlit, its edge glowing with the Sun's corona behind it. On the left side, a subtle brightness on the lunar surface: that's Earthshine, our planet reflecting sunlight back onto the Moon. Look at the bottom right edge. That bright point is Saturn. Further right, at the edge of the frame: Mars. Two planets, a star hidden behind the Moon, a spacecraft, and reflected light from Earth, all in a single exposure. This is not something you can see from home. A solar eclipse from the Moon's vicinity, with two planets flanking the frame and a crewed spacecraft in the foreground. It happened once, on this day, at this exact position in space. This image retains its original framing as captured aboard Orion. The visible grain is inherent to deep space photography in extreme lighting conditions. We keep it as is. It's part of what makes this real. Photo: NASA / Artemis II, Lunar Flyby