08/04/2026
¡Hola, Tierra! 🥰
Earthset (APOD: 2026 Apr 08)
Image Credit & Copyright: NASA
Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260408.html
Explanation: "And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the Moon. We will see you on the other side” said Artemis II pilot Victor Glover on April 6th at 6:44pm ET as 8.3 billion minus four people and one Earth set below the Moon's horizon. The Orion spacecraft, Integrity, then traveled behind the Moon as a part of its seven-hour lunar flyby, which included reaching 406771 km (252756 mi) away from Earth — farther than any human has gone before. The crew characterized never-before-seen regions of the far-side of the Moon, which is puzzlingly less volcanically active than the near-side. New observations of crater peaks, floors, terraces, and rings preserved on the lunar surface will help piece together the impact history of the Solar System. One such region, the Orientale basin is the youngest of the Moon's craters formed during a period of intense asteroid collisions known as the Late Heavy Bombardment. The crew identified two new craters, naming them Carroll, after Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, and Integrity. As Earth rose above the Moon’s horizon and Integrity began its return home, Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch powerfully summarized humanity’s mission: “…we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.”
Starship Asterisk* • APOD Discussion Page
https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260408
