The Planets Shine Bright

art002e015967 (April 6, 2026) - The Sun is eclipsed by the Moon in this April 6, 2026, image from NASA’s Orion. The glow around the Moon is called zodiacal light, which describes interstellar dust that’s reflecting sunlight. Unlike minutes-long eclipses as viewed from Earth, the Artemis II crew saw the Sun hide behind the Moon for nearly an hour. Because the astronauts were so close to the Moon (4,067 miles at closest approach), the Moon appeared much larger than the Sun; because of this, it took longer for the Sun to make its transit across the Moon and peek out the other side. From Earth, the Moon and Sun appear about the same size, so even small changes in their alignment quickly bring the Sun back into view, making totality much shorter. The two bright spots to the right of the Moon are Saturn and Mars. Credit: NASA