Artemis 2 Lunar Flyby: Photos, Eclipse, and New Crater Names

Artemis 2 flew past the Moon at roughly 4,000 miles altitude, setting a new record for the greatest distance humans have traveled from Earth. The previous record belonged to Apollo 8 in 1968, making Artemis 2 a historic milestone for crewed deep‑space exploration.

Lunar Eclipse Observations

From lunar orbit the crew witnessed a total solar eclipse that lasted about 54 minutes—far longer than the few minutes experienced on Earth. During totality Earthshine lit portions of the Moon’s dark side, while Saturn, Mars and Mercury appeared as bright points in the background; Neptune was too faint to be captured. The camera recorded bright spots on the shadowed lunar surface, which are dead pixels caused by intense radiation outside Earth’s protective atmosphere. As one commentator noted, “These aren’t stars, but rather they are dead pixels from the camera, probably caused by the intense radiation.”

Crew Activities

Astronauts protected their eyes with eclipse glasses while observing the event and used a window shroud to suppress reflections and keep the imaging area dark. The crew proposed naming two newly identified craters: “Integrity,” after the Orion module, and “Carol,” in memory of Reed Wiseman’s late wife. Protective protocols and equipment ensured safety throughout the observation window, which spanned roughly seven hours.

Geological Features

The imagery highlighted several notable lunar formations. The Oriental Basin stood out as one of the Moon’s youngest and best‑preserved impact craters. Within a dark lava flow, Aristarkus crater glowed brightly, while Grimmaldi crater appeared as a round black spot northeast of Oriental. The massive South Pole‑Aitken Basin, the oldest and largest basin on the Moon, was also visible. Complex craters displayed central peaks formed when the surface briefly liquefied after impact.

Earth‑Moon Imagery

“Earth Set” photos captured Earth positioned behind the lunar surface, with clouds drifting over Australia and Oceania. A planned 40‑minute communication blackout occurred as Orion passed behind the Moon, during which the crew photographed a crescent Earth—reversing the familiar view of a crescent Moon from Earth. One observer summed up the visual impact: “Three worlds in one image.”

Data Transmission

Limited bandwidth on the Deep Space Network prevented the full set of high‑resolution images from being sent back to Earth. The team acknowledged that “It’s not possible to transmit it all back on the deep space network due to limited bandwidth,” but promised future releases as bandwidth constraints ease.