A New View of the Moon

A New View of the Moon – Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT on April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in this image captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon. The Orientale basin sits along the edge of the visible surface, while the Hertzsprung Basin appears as two subtle concentric rings, partially interrupted by the younger Vavilov crater superimposed over the older structure. Chains of indentations stretch across the terrain, formed by ejecta from the massive impact that created Orientale. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while on its day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. Date Created: 2026-04-06. Credit: NASA.

Associated with the Artemis II mission, this image offers a rare and detailed perspective of the Moon’s far side geology alongside a distant Earthset. The layering of ancient basins, impact features, and ejecta patterns reveals the complexity of the lunar surface, while the presence of Earth on the horizon adds scale and context to a moment captured far beyond our planet.