Artemis II image archive
art002e009212 (April 6, 2026) In this fully illuminated view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from...
art002e009212 (April 6, 2026) In this fully illuminated view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth), is visible on the right. It is identifiable by the dark splotches that cover its surface. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the Moon’s histo...
- Date
- Apr 6, 2026
- Mission
- Artemis II
- Archive ID
- amf-art002e009212
art002e009212 (April 6, 2026) In this fully illuminated view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth), is visible on the right. It is identifiable by the dark splotches that cover its surface. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the Moon’s history when it was volcanically active. The large crater west of the lava flows is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides. Orientale's left half is not visible from Earth, but in this image we have a full view of the crater. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side, the hemisphere we don’t get to see from Earth because the Moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits round us.
More Images From This Period
NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot shakes hands with Scott Tingle, Chief of the Astronaut Office as he is...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman greets Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover at the Artemis II crew’s return home to Houston on...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman greets Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen at the Artemis II crew’s return home to Houston...
Downloads
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov