Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. ET, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the moon.

by Kerry Breen, CBS News on Google

Stunning photos taken by the Artemis II crew were released on Tuesday, showing spectacular views from the far side of the moon and an eclipse in space. 

One image from NASA showed “Earthset” — the Earth dipping behind the moon. Part of the Earth is seen in darkness, while Australia and Oceania are visible on the planet’s surface. Details of the moon appear in the photo’s foreground. 

“from the other side,” the White House said about the image.

Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. ET, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the moon.

Another stunning photo showed the moon eclipsing the sun. The eclipse was not visible from Earth, only to the crew aboard the spacecraft, and the astronauts needed to wear eclipse glasses to protect their eyes until the moon completely covered the sun.

“From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth,” NASA said about the image.

This image taken by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, shows the moon eclipsing the sun.

Astronaut Victor Glover said the sun’s corona remained visible and bright during the eclipse, creating “a halo almost around the entire moon.” He said the photos of the eclipse didn’t do the display justice.

Another photo shared by NASA on Tuesday morning shows the ridged craters and long shadows of the moon as parts of it come into view along the boundary between lunar day and night.

The Artemis II crew is now making their trip back toward Earth. They are expected to splash down off the California coast, near San Diego, on Friday evening.