The first-ever ‘Earthset’ image marks another Artemis II milestone

The first-ever ‘Earthset’ image marks another Artemis II milestone Skip to content Subscribe today Every print subscription comes with full digital access Subscribe Now Menu All Topics Health Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology View All Life Animals Plants Ecosystems Paleontology Neuroscience Genetics Microbes View All Earth Agriculture Climate Oceans Environment View All Physics Materials Science Quantum Physics Particle Physics View All Space Astronomy Planetary Science Cosmology View All Magazine Menu All Stories Multimedia Reviews Puzzles Collections Educator Portal Century of Science Unsung characters Coronavirus Outbreak Newsletters Investors Lab About SN Explores Our Store SIGN IN Donate Home INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 SIGN IN Search Open search Close search Home INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921 All Topics Earth Agriculture Climate Oceans Environment Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology Life Animals Plants Ecosystems Paleontology Neuroscience Genetics Microbes Physics Materials Science Quantum Physics Particle Physics Space Astronomy Planetary Science Cosmology Tech Computing Artificial Intelligence Chemistry Math Science & Society All Topics Health Humans Humans Anthropology Health & Medicine Archaeology Psychology Recent posts in Humans Science & Society Snippets of hair may expose chronic stress in war refugees By Sujata GuptaApril 6, 2026 Health & Medicine When our minds wander to the body, it may affect mental health By Diana KwonApril 3, 2026 Health & Medicine Supreme Court ruling on ‘conversion therapy’ puts medical talk in the hot seat By Aimee CunninghamApril 3, 2026 Life Life Animals Plants Ecosystems Paleontology Neuroscience Genetics Microbes Recent posts in Life Neuroscience Seeing and imagining activate some of the same brain cells By Diana KwonApril 9, 2026 Paleontology Mummified reptile hints at the origins of how we breathe By Carolyn GramlingApril 8, 2026 Paleontology The ‘oldest fossil octopus’ is probably another animal By Jake BuehlerApril 7, 2026 Earth Earth Agriculture Climate Oceans Environment Recent posts in Earth Climate Emperor penguins are marching toward extinction. 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NASA By Lisa Grossman April 7, 2026 at 11:53 am Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Listen to this article This is a human-written story voiced by AI. Got feedback? Take our survey . (See our AI policy here .) Just before temporarily losing contact with Earth on April 6, the Artemis II astronauts took this stunning photo of their home planet setting behind the moon. The image is a deliberate echo of the 1968 “Earthrise” photo, taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders as he became one of the first people to enter lunar orbit. That photo was spontaneous; Anders was surprised by the sight of Earth appearing over the rugged moon and rushed to a window to snap pictures. The image became one of the most famous photos in history and is partially credited with starting the environmental movement. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday. In contrast, this “Earthset” picture was carefully planned. Earth appears as a crescent, with clouds swirling over Australia and Oceania on the sunlit sliver. The moon’s cratered surface has a brownish tint. The astronauts talked a lot about unexpected colors on the moon during their seven-hour flyby. “The more I look at the moon, the browner and browner it looks,” one noted. About an hour after this photo was taken, the astronauts reemerged on the other side of the moon to begin their journey home. “Ultimately, we will always choose Earth,” astronaut Christina Koch said. “We will always choose each other.” Goodnight, Earth Watch as Earth sets over the horizon of the moon. Here is the Artemis II crew’s view of the Earth and moon together 36 minutes before Earthset. NASA The moon and Earth edged closer six minutes before the moon covered Earth from from Artemis II’s point of view. NASA As Earth set, the moon’s craters are etched in stark relief. The Artemis II astronauts were the first humans to see these features and more on the lunar farside with their own eyes. NASA Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ About Lisa Grossman E-mail X Lisa Grossman is the astronomy writer. She has a degree in astronomy from Cornell University and a graduate certificate in science writing from University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives in Minneapolis. We are at a critical time and supporting climate journalism is more important than ever. Science News and our parent organization, the Society for Science, need your help to strengthen environmental literacy and ensure that our response to climate change is informed by science. Please subscribe to Science News and add $16 to expand science literacy and understanding. 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