Earthset, solar eclipse: NASA releases Moon flyby photos from Artemis II mission

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released on Tuesday stunning flyby images of the Moon taken by the Artemis II astronauts.

One of the pictures featured an Earthset, where the planet sets behind the cratered lunar surface.

The Artemis II crew also documented a solar eclipse, impact craters, ancient lava flows, surface fractures, and six meteoroid impact flashes, which, according to NASA, will help scientists understand the Moon's geologic past. 

“Our four Artemis II astronauts—Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy—took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come,” Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington, said. 

The multibillion-dollar series of missions under the Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the Moon's surface by 2028 before China and establish a long-term US presence there over the next decade, building a Moon base for potential future missions to Mars.

The four astronauts became on Monday the humans to travel furthest from Earth as they prepared to view areas of the Moon never before seen by the naked eye as part of NASA's historic lunar flyby.

Now on their journey back home, the Artemis II crew is set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines). —with reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse/VBL, GMA News