                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2026 January 31

                          Artemis I: Flight Day 13
                        Image Credit: NASA, Artemis I

   Explanation: On flight day 13 (November 28, 2022) of the Artemis 1
   mission, the Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth.
   At over 430,000 kilometers from Earth, its distant retrograde orbit
   also puts Orion nearly 70,000 kilometers from the Moon. In the same
   field of view in this video frame from flight day 13, planet and large
   natural satellite even appear about the same apparent size from the
   spacecraft's perspective. On flight day 26 (December 11, 2022), the
   uncrewed spacecraft splashed down on its home world concluding the
   historic Artemis I mission. The Artemis II mission, carrying 4
   astronauts around the moon and back again, will launch no earlier than
   February 8.

                       Tomorrow's picture: happy face
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

