Moon's mysterious far side to 'sky full of stars': Artemis 2 goes sci-fi. Watch

Nasa's Artemis 2 crew has turned science fiction into reality with new images of the Milky Way, the Moon's far side, an iconic Earthset, and a rare solar eclipse. See the incredible footage and galactic views captured from the Orion spacecraft.

In Short

• Artemis 2 crew captured a breathtaking photo of Milky Way galaxy.
• First human views of the rugged lunar far side in decades.
• The total solar eclipse behind the Moon lasted nearly 54 minutes.

The boundary between science fiction and reality has officially dissolved. On April 8, 2026, Nasa released a breathtaking montage of images and videos from the Artemis 2 mission that looks like it was pulled straight from a Hollywood blockbuster.

From the alien landscapes of the mysterious lunar far side to a breathtaking image of the Milky Way galaxy, the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity have captured sights that no human eyes have witnessed in over 50 years.

The crew, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, described the experience as a moment where science fiction finally became documented history.

WHAT DOES THE MOON’S FAR SIDE LOOK LIKE?

Because the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, which means it rotates at the same speed it orbits us, we only ever see one face.

The far side remained a mystery until robotic missions mapped it, but the Artemis 2 crew provided the first human eyewitness accounts in decades.

The images reveal a geologically distinct hemisphere that is much more rugged than the familiar near side.

It lacks the large, dark plains called maria, which are actually ancient volcanic lava flows. Instead, the far side is a chaotic expanse of craters with central peaks, which are sharp mountains that form when the lunar surface briefly liquefies and splashes upward after a massive asteroid impact.

HOW DOES AN EARTHSET HAPPEN IN SPACE?

One of the most emotional highlights of the new footage is the Earthset. While we are used to seeing the Sun set behind the horizon, the astronauts saw our blue planet sink behind the curved, cratered limb of the Moon.

Captured at approximately 4:11 a.m. IST, this reverse perspective happens purely because of the spacecraft’s trajectory. As Orion swung around the lunar far side, Earth appeared to drop below the lunar horizon.

This view of a tiny, crescent Earth framed by the jagged edges of Ohm crater serves as a powerful reminder of how fragile our home planet truly is.

CAN YOU SEE THE MILKY WAY FROM THE MOON?

Following their successful lunar flyby on April 7, the crew looked away from the lunar surface and into the deep cosmos to capture a sky full of stars.

Without the interference of Earth’s atmosphere or light pollution, the Milky Way galaxy appeared in staggering clarity.

This breathtaking photo shows the dense river of stars, gas, and dust that makes up our galactic home.

For the astronauts, seeing the galaxy from deep space provided a sense of scale that is impossible to achieve from the ground, as the stars do not twinkle in the vacuum of space but shine with a steady, piercing light.

CAN YOU SEE A SOLAR ECLIPSE FROM THE MOON?

The most scientifically significant event captured was a total solar eclipse viewed from the vicinity of the Moon.

For nearly 54 minutes, the Moon completely blocked the Sun from the crew’s perspective.

This long duration of darkness allowed the astronauts to wear eclipse glasses inside the capsule and study the solar corona.

The corona is the Sun’s faint, wispy outer atmosphere of hot plasma. Because the corona is usually hidden by the Sun’s blinding glare, this unique vantage point allowed the crew to document its structure in ways that are impossible from Earth’s surface.

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