NASA has released a striking photograph dubbed 'Earthset,' showing Earth dipping below the lunar horizon, captured by the crew of the Artemis II mission from their Orion spacecraft. The image evokes the legendary 'Earthrise' photograph taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders on December 24, 1968 — more than 57 years ago — which became one of the most iconic images in space exploration history.
The Artemis II mission is NASA's first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo era, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission marks a historic milestone as the first crewed flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) beyond low Earth orbit.
The new 'Earthset' image captures Earth from a vantage point near the Moon, offering a perspective rarely seen by human eyes. While the original 'Earthrise' showed Earth rising above the lunar surface, this new photograph documents the reverse phenomenon, with Earth appearing to set below the Moon's horizon as viewed from the Orion capsule.
NASA's Artemis program aims to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, with Artemis II serving as a critical crewed test flight ahead of planned lunar landing missions. The release of this photograph underscores the program's progress and its connection to the legacy of the Apollo missions.
