Solar corona
The Sun's outer plasma atmosphere, visible during solar eclipses; observable by the Artemis II crew for one hour when the Moon blocked the Sun from Orion's position.
Last refreshed: 6 April 2026
What did the Artemis II crew see that no human has ever seen before?
Latest on Solar corona
- Did the Artemis II crew see a solar eclipse from the Moon?
- The Artemis II crew observed a solar eclipse from beyond the Moon on 6 April 2026 when the Sun disappeared behind the lunar disc from Orion's position for approximately one hour, giving them a direct view of the solar corona.Source: NASA Artemis II mission updates
- What is the solar corona and why is it hotter than the Sun's surface?
- The solar corona is the Sun's outer plasma atmosphere, visible during eclipses. It reaches temperatures of millions of degrees despite being further from the solar interior, a paradox still not fully explained by physics.
Background
The solar corona is the Sun's outer plasma atmosphere, extending millions of kilometres into space and visible from Earth only during total solar eclipses when the Moon blocks the photosphere. On 6 April 2026, the Artemis II crew became the first humans to observe a solar corona from beyond the Moon, when the Sun disappeared behind the lunar disc from Orion's position for approximately one hour.
The corona is far hotter than the solar surface below it, a paradox that has driven solar physics research for decades. It is also the source of the solar wind: the continuous stream of charged particles that drives Space weather and, beyond Earth's magnetosphere, poses radiation risks to spacecraft and crew. The Artemis II eclipse gave the crew an unobstructed view from a vantage point no human has previously occupied.
From beyond the Moon, the crew could also use the eclipse window to search for meteoroid impact flashes and dust lofting on the darkened lunar surface, adding an unplanned observational opportunity to what had been scheduled as a navigation milestone.