Artemis II in Eclipse

Lunar Solar Eclipse from Orion Spacecraft NASA Artemis II Mission Landscape OrientationDuring the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, the crew witnessed something no human had ever seen from this vantage point: a total solar eclipse caused by the Moon. For nearly 54 minutes, the lunar disk blocked the Sun entirely — far longer than any eclipse visible from Earth.A luminous halo encircles the Moon's silhouette. Scientists are still determining whether it originates from the solar corona, zodiacal dust, or both. With the lunar surface in shadow, background stars emerge that are normally invisible when photographing the Moon. A faint glow on the nearside comes from earthshine — sunlight bouncing off our planet and back onto the Moon.Credits: NASA (art002e009301)See Also: - Peeking at the Earth - A Setting Earth - Artemis II Collection