Artemis 2 Astronauts Report Six Light Flashes Behind the Moon

The crew of NASA's Artemis 2 mission reported observing six flashes of light while passing behind the Moon during their lunar flyby. These visual phenomena are not unprecedented in spaceflight history, as similar flashes have been documented by astronauts on previous missions beyond low Earth orbit.

The flashes occurred during the portion of the mission when the spacecraft was on the far side of the Moon, temporarily out of direct communication with Earth. While the exact cause of these specific flashes has not been definitively determined, astronauts dating back to the Apollo era have reported comparable visual experiences during deep space missions, suggesting a recurring phenomenon associated with travel beyond Earth's protective magnetic field.