A Moment with the Moon, Artemis II

Orientale basin and ancient lava, minutes before the flyby observation period began. April 6, 2026, 2:19 p.m. EDT. Just before the crew started their formal observation period, someone on Artemis II pointed the camera at the Moon and captured this. Orientale basin sits in the center of the frame, 600 miles wide, with a black patch of ancient lava that punched through the lunar crust in an eruption billions of years ago. Orientale straddles the line between the near and far sides. From Earth, it's sometimes partly visible at the Moon's extreme western edge, but never like this. To its left, the small bright crater Byrgius stands out, with rays extending 250 miles outward from its basin, debris lines still sharp after all this time. This was the quiet moment before the main event. The crew hadn't started the observation program yet. They were just looking. This image retains its original framing as captured aboard Orion. The visible grain is inherent to deep space photography conditions. We keep it as is. It's part of what makes this real. Photo: NASA / Artemis II, Lunar Flyby