NASA Unveils Historic ‘Earthset’ Image Captured by Artemis II Crew

HOUSTON: In a moment that echoes one of the most iconic images in space history, NASA has released a breathtaking photograph of Earth appearing to dip below the Moon’s horizon, dubbed “Earthset,” captured by astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission.

The image, taken from NASA’s Orion spacecraft during its record-breaking lunar flyby, offers a rare and humbling perspective of our planet from the far side of the Moon. More than five decades after the famous “Earthrise” photo taken during Apollo 8 in 1968, this new snapshot marks another milestone in humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

NASA shared the image on April 7 via social media, with the White House also highlighting the moment. “Humanity, from the other side,” read the caption. “Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon.”

The Artemis II crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are currently on a historic mission to orbit the Moon without landing. Their journey is a key step in NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface by 2028.

During the mission, the crew has provided detailed observations of the Moon’s rugged terrain and experienced a rare celestial event a solar eclipse viewed from deep space, as the Moon passed directly between the spacecraft and the Sun.

NASA also released an image of the eclipse, describing it as a view witnessed by only a handful of মানুষ in history, further underscoring the mission’s significance.

The original “Earthrise” photograph, captured by astronaut Bill Anders during Apollo 8, showed Earth rising above the Moon’s barren horizon and quickly became a symbol of unity and environmental awareness. It was later named one of the most influential images ever taken.

Now, with “Earthset,” a new generation is offered a different but equally powerful perspective—one that reminds us of Earth’s fragility and isolation in the vastness of space, as humanity prepares to return to the Moon and push even further beyond.