In 1968, the American spacecraft Apollo 8 achieved the first manned space mission around the moon. And after more than 57 years,On April 7 (Tuesday), Eastern Time, a crew of four astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flew by the far side of the moon and saw many lunar background phenomena that had never been seen by humans before. Then they embarked on a journey back to Earth.
It is reported that this journey broke the record for the longest distance traveled by humans in space and brought humans so close to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. According to NASA calculations, the astronauts were estimated to be only 4,067 miles from the lunar surface when they were closest to the moon this time.
On the same day, NASA released a set of "historic photos" on its official website——Astronauts on the far side of the moon saw the rising, setting, solar eclipse and details of the Earth's far side. This set of photos was taken on April 6, local time.
Let us enjoy it together:
Image source: NASA
This photo, taken by Artemis 2 astronauts during a flyby of the moon on April 6, 2026, shows the moon completely blocking the sun. From an astronaut's perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating a nearly 54-minute total lunar eclipse and extending the field of view beyond what can be observed from Earth.
We can see the bright halo surrounding the dark moon's disk. The scientific community is studying whether this phenomenon is caused by the corona, the zodiacal light, or a combination of both. Also visible in the photo are stars that are usually too dim to see when photographing the moon, but are clearly visible when the moon is in darkness.
This unique perspective not only provides stunning visuals, but also provides astronauts with a valuable opportunity to record observations during humanity's return to deep space. Also visible in the photo is the faint glow of the moon's near side, which is illuminated by light reflected from Earth.
Image source: NASA
This photo was taken by Artemis 2 astronauts during their flight around the far side of the moon. In the photo, the Earth set on the curved edge of the moon at 6:41 pm EST on April 6, 2026. The Vostok Basin is located at the edge of the visible lunar surface.
The Hrotsplon basin appears as two subtle concentric rings interrupted by Vavilov Crater, a younger crater superimposed on the older Hrotsplon basin. These depression lines are chains of secondary craters formed by material ejected by the massive impact that formed the Vostok Basin.
It's night on the dark side of the Earth. On the sunny side of the Earth, billowing clouds can be seen over Australia and Oceania.
Image source: NASA
During the Artemis 2 lunar flyby mission, the moon's surface is clearly shown in the picture, while the distant Earth gradually disappears in the background. This photo was taken at 6:41 pm Eastern Time on April 6, 2026, just 40 minutes after the Orion spacecraft and its astronauts flew over the far side of the moon and lost contact with the Earth before they reappeared from the far side of the moon.
In the photo, the dark side of the Earth is at night, while the sunny side shows rolling clouds over Australia and Oceania. Ohm Crater in the foreground has a stepped rim, a relatively flat floor, and some peaks rising in the center—these peaks are the result of the surface rebounding when the impact formed the crater.
Image source: NASA
Astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission captured some scenes near the lunar twilight line (the dividing line between day and night on the moon). Low-angle sunlight casts long, dramatic shadows on the lunar surface. This grazing light highlights the moon's rugged terrain, making structures such as craters, ridges and basins clearly visible.
Landform features such as Juul Crater, Birkhoff Crater, Stebbings Crater and the surrounding highlands near the twilight line are particularly prominent. From this perspective, the interplay of light and shadow reveals a complexity of the lunar surface that cannot be seen in full illumination. This photo was taken on the sixth day of the mission, about three hours after the astronauts orbited the far side of the moon, as they began observing the moon.
Image source: NASA
This image was taken by the Artemis 2 spacecraft during a flyby of the Moon, approximately six minutes before Earth set. In the photo, the Earth is gradually approaching the far side of the moon. At this time, the earth is in a crescent shape, and the sun is shining from the right. It's night on the dark side of the Earth.
On the sunny side of the Earth, billowing clouds can be seen against a soft blue sky over Australia and Oceania. Tiny indentations on the Moon's rugged surface are chains of secondary impact craters. These structures were formed by material ejected from violent primordial impacts.
Image source: NASA
This photo was taken at 7:22 pm Eastern Time. It is a view of the Earth rising through the window of the Orion spacecraft as the Artemis 2 spacecraft flew by the far side of the moon. The Earth appears as a slender crescent, with only the upper edge illuminated. The Earth's soft blue tones and scattered white clouds stand out against the blackness of space, while the lower half is lost in the night.
Captured with a 400mm lens, the photo titled "Earthrise" shows the stunning alignment of the Earth and Moon: the Moon is above the foreground and the Earth is below. On the lunar horizon, rugged terrain is outlined against the bright crescent of Earth.
The North Pole of the Earth and Moon are both on the left and the South Pole is on the right, giving us a unique perspective on Earth from deep space. For standard viewing orientation, the photo is rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
Image source: NASA
This photo was taken from the window of the Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026, at 6:41 pm EST, as astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission flew by the moon. In the photo, a soft blue Earth and bright white clouds slowly fall behind the cratered lunar surface.
The dark side of the earth is at night. On the sunny side of the Earth, billowing clouds are visible over Australia and Oceania. In the foreground, Ohm Crater has a stepped rim, with a flat floor divided by a central peak. In the crater complex, the lunar surface liquefied upon impact and was sprayed upward during crater formation, creating the central peak.
Image source: NASA
This photo, taken by the Orion spacecraft near the end of the Artemis 2 lunar flyby mission on April 6, shows the eclipse gradually ending and the sun beginning to peek out from behind the moon. Only part of the moon is visible in the frame, its curved edge revealing a bright ray of sunlight after nearly an hour of darkness.
During the final moments of the eclipse as observed by astronauts, the reappearance of sunlight contrasted sharply with the moon's silhouette and revealed lunar surface features not normally visible from the lunar edge. This fleeting phase captures the dynamic alignment between the sun, moon and spacecraft as the Orion spacecraft continues its return from the far side of the moon.