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February 2026 may very well be a landmark month for Earth’s Moon.
The month begins with a full Moon rising on 1 February. This is the yr’s Snow Moon, marking the total Moon that rises within the depths of winter.
February 2026 is also the month that people return to the Moon for the primary time for the reason that Apollo landings.
The Artemis II mission may launch in early February, and its crew will see a aspect of the Moon we by no means get to see from Earth.
They’ll view our pure satellite tv for pc from a perspective by no means skilled by any human earlier than them.
Seeing the Snow Moon
If you are excited in regards to the Artemis II mission, this weekend’s Snow Moon is a good alternative to get out and marvel at our celestial companion.
On the night of Friday 30 January, the nearly-full Snow Moon shall be near the planet Jupiter within the night time sky.
You can see the pair rise within the east after sundown and, should you’re in a position to keep up previous midnight, you can watch the Moon and the planet get nearer collectively within the night sky.
By Saturday and Sunday this weekend, the Moon shall be full and visual within the jap a part of the night time sky.
If you are an early riser, winter’s late dawn provides you with an opportunity to see the Snow Moon setting in the direction of the west earlier than daylight breaks.
A morning full Moon towards the onset of daybreak is a marvellous factor to see.
The February full Moon is named the Snow Moon as a result of historically February is the month when it’s almost certainly to snow within the Northern Hemisphere.
If you are out observing the total Moon this weekend, take a second to savour it, as this may very well be the final full Moon we see earlier than the launch of humanity’s subsequent lunar journey.
Artemis II and its distinctive view of the Moon
According to NASA’s Artemis II launch dates, the mission may elevate off as quickly as 6 February 2026. That means the Snow Moon may very well be the final full Moon we see earlier than Artemis II has launched and landed.
Artemis II is a crewed mission that can take 4 astronauts across the Moon and again.
The Artemis II crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
They will not land on the Moon, however as an alternative will launch in the direction of the Moon, journey past it – additional than any human has travelled earlier than – then use the Moon’s gravity to tug them again for the return journey to Earth.
As effectively as getting ready for the upcoming Artemis III mission – which is able to land people on the Moon for the primary time for the reason that Apollo missions – Artemis II will present a singular perspective of the Moon that no human has seen earlier than.
The aspect of the Moon that we see from Earth by no means adjustments. The Moon is tidally locked to our planet, which implies the identical aspect at all times faces Earth.
We by no means see the lunar far aspect from the bottom, however numerous spacecraft have captured photos of it.
The Apollo astronauts caught the primary glimpse of the far aspect ever seen with human eyes once they orbited round it throughout their missions to the Moon.
However, whereas the Apollo missions flew about 100–200km (60–120 miles) above the floor of the Moon, the Artemis II astronauts will journey a lot additional past it.
The Orion capsule housing the Artemis II astronauts will journey about 6,500–9,500km (4,000–6,000 miles) above the lunar floor.
NASA says from this distance, the Moon will look like in regards to the dimension of a basketball held at arm’s size.
That signifies that, whereas the Apollo astronauts got a close-up, and due to this fact restricted view of the far aspect of the Moon, the Artemis II astronauts will be capable of see the whole far aspect of the Moon suddenly.
Artemis II and lunar science
As effectively as being a tremendous expertise for the Artemis II crew, this never-before-seen view of the far aspect of the Moon gives a possibility to hold out scientific observations of the lunar floor.
They’ll be outfitted with a Nikon D5 digicam and 80-400mm lens, which they will use to seize photos of the Moon for evaluation again on Earth.
Lunar scientists will give the crew particular targets to look at and {photograph} on their journey, equivalent to influence craters fashioned by large house rocks smashing into the far aspect of the Moon.
They can also see historical lava flows and different hints of the Moon’s lively, chaotic previous.
The Artemis II astronauts have been given intensive geology coaching, that means they will be capable of conduct their very own evaluation of the Moon as they’re observing it.
They might even be capable of give us clear views of areas on the Moon which might be tantalisingly out of attain from our perspective on Earth.
As the Moon orbits Earth, from our perspective it seems to wobble barely, which implies we really get to see greater than 50% of the Moon over time.
This wobble is named lunar libration, and it has the impact of bringing a number of the options on the seen fringe of the Moon into our view for a brief time frame.
The most well-known of those options is probably Mare Orientale, a lunar ‘sea’ that may solely be seen throughout lunar libration.
The Artemis II astronauts might get a view of this unimaginable influence basin face-on.
NASA says the crew can also see flashes of sunshine on the Moon attributable to house rocks hitting its floor.
This knowledge will give scientists a greater view as to how usually the far aspect of the Moon is hit.
Preparing for the subsequent lunar touch-down
As effectively as lunar science, the Artemis II crews’ view and pictures of the Moon will allow NASA to organize for Artemis III, which is about to launch within the subsequent few years and land on the Moon, placing human ft on the lunar floor for the primary time for the reason that Apollo missions.
Artemis II may assist inform precisely the place Artemis III will land, and establish attention-grabbing formations close to the touchdown website price investigation.
“Whether they’re looking out the spacecraft’s windows or walking the surface, Artemis astronauts will be working on behalf of all scientists to collect clues to the ancient geologic processes that shaped the Moon and our solar system,” says Cindy Evans, NASA’s Artemis geology coaching and strategic integration lead, based mostly at NASA Johnson.
Are you excited in regards to the Artemis II mission? Share your ideas with us by emailing [email protected]
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/what-artemis-ii-astronauts-will-see-on-moon
and if you wish to take away this text from our website please contact us
