Moon’s hidden side captured: First-ever images of the moon’s far side in Artemis II photos - here's everything you need to know about the mission

NASA Artemis II photos: For the first time, humans are getting a look at the far side of the Moon, a view that had remained out of reach until now.

Artemis II Mission: Historic Images from Orion Spacecraft Explained

Images released by NASA show Earth slowly disappearing beyond the Moon’s horizon, captured from the Orion spacecraft during the historic Artemis II mission, as per a report.

The moment marks a major milestone, as the four astronauts traveled farther into space than any humans before them. At one point, they were about 252,757 miles from Earth, with the Moon appearing roughly the size of a basketball held at arm’s length, as per a Daily Star report.

Who Are the Artemis II Astronauts Exploring the Moon’s Far Side

The crew, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, spent hours documenting what they saw. Their images captured the Moon’s rugged terrain, deep impact craters, and vast dark plains, features that have never been directly observed by humans before.

Apollo vs Artemis II: What Makes This Mission Different

Unlike earlier Apollo missions, which couldn’t fully reveal the lunar far side due to flight paths and timing, this mission gave astronauts a clear and extended view. In doing so, they became the first people to truly see this hidden half of the Moon with their own eyes.

Emotional Impact of Seeing Earth from the Moon’s Far Side

Beyond the visuals, the experience also carried an emotional weight. Looking at Earth from such a distance offered a new perspective on home. As the astronauts compared the distant planet to the barren lunar surface, it reinforced how unique and essential Earth is.

Astronaut Glover said in radioed message to Mission Control, “Boy, I am loving the terminator. There’s just so much magic in the terminator — the islands of light, the valleys that look like black holes. You’d fall straight to the center of the Moon if you stepped in some of those. It’s just so visually captivating,” as quoted by Daily Star.

Koch shared that, “When we have that perspective and we compare it to our home of Earth, it just reminds us how much we have in common. Everything we need, Earth provides. And that is somewhat of a miracle and one that you can’t truly know until you’ve had the perspective of the other,” as quoted by Daily Star.

When Will NASA Release More Artemis II Moon Photos

More images from the mission are expected to be released. However, due to data transmission limits, many of the photos will only be processed after the crew safely returns.

FAQs

What is special about these Moon photos?
They show the far side of the Moon, which humans had never seen directly before.

Which mission captured these images?
The photos were taken during NASA’s Artemis II mission.