See Video Of Earthset That An Artemis Ii Astronaut Filmed On His Iphone While Circling The Moon

It’s a position that only a fistful of humans person ever witnessed: a distant Earth disappearing down a immense moon.

NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, who commanded nan Artemis II ngo astir nan moon, posted a spectacular video connected X of Earthset from nan lunar acold side, showing our location satellite fading retired of view.

“Like watching sunset astatine nan formation from nan astir overseas spot successful nan cosmos,” Wiseman wrote astir nan video, which he filmed retired nan model of nan Orion spacecraft. He described nan acquisition arsenic “only 1 chance successful this lifetime.”

Wiseman and his crewmates, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, launched toward nan satellite connected April 1. They spent 10 days circling Earth and nan satellite past returned location connected April 10, splashing down successful nan Pacific Ocean disconnected nan seashore of San Diego.

During nan mission, nan Artemis II astronauts became nan first group to spot overmuch of nan lunar acold broadside — nan broadside of nan satellite that permanently faces distant from Earth — pinch their ain eyes.

Wiseman said he “couldn’t defy a compartment telephone video of Earthset” while walking astir nan satellite connected April 6. The video shows close-up specifications of nan moon’s crater-filled surface.

“I could hardly spot nan Moon done nan docking hatch window,” Wiseman wrote, “but nan iPhone was nan cleanable size to drawback nan view…this is uncropped, uncut pinch 8x zoom which is rather comparable to nan position of nan quality eye.”

As Wiseman was capturing cellphone footage of Earthset, his chap unit members were besides engaged snapping photos and signaling observations astir nan moon’s effect craters and rugged topography.

“You tin perceive nan shutter connected nan Nikon arsenic @Astro_Christina is hammering distant connected 3-shot brackets and capturing those exceptional Earthset photos done nan 400mm lens,” Wiseman wrote connected X, referring to Koch.

Earth dips beyond nan lunar sky successful this photograph that nan Artemis II unit captured from nan Orion spacecraft connected April 6.NASA

The astronauts spent astir 7 hours taking photos and gathering observations during nan lunar flyby. The photos from nan mission released frankincense acold person included stunning views of nan moon’s terrain, pinch Earth successful nan distance. Many much images are expected to beryllium publically released successful nan coming weeks and months.

Wiseman’s Earthset video is simply a motion to nan iconic Earthrise photograph taken during nan Apollo 8 ngo successful 1968. The Apollo 8 photo, however, showed Earth re-emerging into view, alternatively than disappearing, arsenic astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell circled nan moon.

On Dec. 24, 1968, during nan Apollo 8 mission, nan Earth roseate into position complete nan moon's limb.William Anders / NASA

Artemis II was NASA’s first ngo to nan satellite successful much than 50 years. Wiseman, Koch, Glover and Hansen were nan first group to motorboat aboard nan agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule.

The agency is focused adjacent connected nan Artemis III mission, which is expected to motorboat successful mid-2027. The scheme calls for nan unit — which has not yet been announced — to stay successful low-Earth orbit to behaviour exertion demonstrations pinch commercially built satellite landers from SpaceX aliases Blue Origin, up of a planned satellite landing during nan Artemis IV ngo successful 2028. NASA intends for 1 of those landers to dock pinch nan Orion capsule successful lunar orbit, past transportation astronauts to nan lunar surface.