Every image in the Astronomy Picture of the Day archive tells a story. The one for April 22, 2026 — Earthset with an iPhone — tells one that stretches across billions of light-years of space.
Credit & Copyright: | apod.nasa.gov
A Close Look at Earthset with an iPhone
What does it mean for
the Earth
to set? Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman gave us
another spectacular view of Earth
from their historic flyby of the Moon.
Commander Wiseman's video,
taken with an iPhone at 8x zoom, shows our entire planet gradually blocked from view by the Moon. On the Earth, the 24-hour planetary rotation causes the Sun to set below your horizon every night. However, on Artemis II
the Earthset
was caused not by
the Moon’s rotation
but by the spacecraft moving behind the Moon (at about 55 seconds in
this video). NASA selected this image for the Astronomy Picture of the Day on April 22, 2026.
For more space discoveries, NASA APOD April 13, 2026… covers similar cosmic phenomena in depth.
Reading the Planetary Surface
Once rare, views of Earth are now taken many times a day from many spacecraft, including NASA’s
SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite
tracking freshwater resources and
USGS Landsat 8 and 9 satellites
supporting water management for farmers,
for example. Space agencies around our home planet now work together to provide unique and ever-improving
views of our Earth.
To image Earthset with an iPhone, astronomers use instruments that go far beyond the human eye. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope collect light across ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths — each revealing a different physical layer of the object.
For context on how modern space imaging works, Astronomy Picture of the Day… has related coverage.
How This Space Video Was Recorded
The image you see for April 22, 2026 is the result of careful calibration, processing, and scientific review. Credit goes to .
Quick Facts: Earthset with an iPhone
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| APOD Date | April 22, 2026 |
| Object Name | Earthset with an iPhone |
| Image Credit | |
| Source | NASA APOD — apod.nasa.gov |
About NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
The Astronomy Picture of the Day has run without interruption since June 16, 1995 — one of the most consistent science communication projects in internet history. Founded by Robert Nemiroff (Michigan Tech) and Jerry Bonnell (University of Maryland), each image is selected by professional astronomers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The April 2026 selection — including Earthset with an iPhone — represents what scientists consider both visually compelling and scientifically meaningful. Browse the full archive free at apod.nasa.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Earthset with an iPhone worth featuring as the April 22, 2026 APOD?
What does it mean for
the Earth
to set? Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman gave us
another spectacular view of Earth
from their historic flyby of the Moon. This makes Earthset with an iPhone one of the more compelling subjects in the Astronomy Picture of the Day archive.
Why does Earthset with an iPhone have its distinctive appearance?
Commander Wiseman's video,
taken with an iPhone at 8x zoom, shows our entire planet gradually blocked from view by the Moon. Space agencies around our home planet now work together to provide unique and ever-improving
views of our Earth.
How does the size of Earthset with an iPhone compare to our solar system?
On the Earth, the 24-hour planetary rotation causes the Sun to set below your horizon every night. Objects like Earthset with an iPhone frequently dwarf anything in our local cosmic neighborhood, reminding us how small Earth really is on a universal scale.
What do the colors in the Earthset with an iPhone image represent?
Astronomical images often use false-color or narrowband processing to highlight features invisible to the human eye. In the case of Earthset with an iPhone, the color mapping helps scientists identify temperature, composition, and motion within the structure.
Has any spacecraft ever explored the region around Earthset with an iPhone?
Space agencies around our home planet now work together to provide unique and ever-improving
views of our Earth. The complete Astronomy Picture of the Day archive going back to 1995 is freely available at apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html. CCDiscovery.com publishes a detailed article for every new APOD image throughout April 2026.
