Earthset with an iPhone
Video Credit:
NASA, Reid Wiseman
What does it mean for
the Earth
to set? Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman gave us
another spectacular view of Earth
from their historic flyby of the Moon.
Commander Wiseman's video,
taken with an iPhone at 8x zoom, shows our entire planet gradually blocked from view by the Moon. On the Earth, the 24-hour planetary rotation causes the Sun to set below your horizon every night. However, on Artemis II
the Earthset
was caused not by
the Moon’s rotation
but by the spacecraft moving behind the Moon (at about 55 seconds in
this video).
Once rare, views of Earth are now taken many times a day from many spacecraft, including NASA’s
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite
tracking freshwater resources and
USGS Landsat 8 and 9 satellites
supporting water management for farmers,
for example. Space agencies around our home planet now work together to provide unique and ever-improving
views of our Earth.