Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2024 November 20 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Earthset from Orion Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]Artemis 1 Explanation: [5]Eight billion people are about to disappear in this [6]snapshot from space taken on 2022 November 21. On the [7]sixth day of the Artemis I mission, their home world is setting behind the Moon's bright edge as viewed by an [8]external camera on the outbound Orion spacecraft. Orion was headed for a powered flyby that took it to within 130 kilometers of the lunar surface. Velocity gained in the flyby maneuver was used to reach a [9]distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. That orbit is considered distant because it's another 92,000 kilometers beyond the Moon, and retrograde because the spacecraft orbited in the opposite direction of the Moon's orbit around planet Earth. Orion entered its distant retrograde orbit on November 25. [10]Swinging around the Moon, Orion reached a maximum distance (just over 400,000 kilometers) from Earth on November 28, exceeding a record set by [11]Apollo 13 for most distant spacecraft designed for [12]human space exploration. [13]The Artemis II mission, carrying 4 astronauts around the moon and back again, is scheduled to launch no earlier than September 2025. Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC, [34]NASA Science Activation & [35]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2411/earthset-snap00.png 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1 5. https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion 6. https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/albums/72177720303788800/page3 7. https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/11/21/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs-lunar-flyby-closest-outbound-approach/ 8. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new-views-of-orion-earth-moon 9. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/orion-will-go-the-distance-in-retrograde-orbit-during-artemis-i 10. https://www.nasa.gov/specials/trackartemis/ 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200303.html 12. https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1 13. https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241119.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=241120 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241121.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/ 33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 34. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 35. http://www.mtu.edu/