Stargazers all around the world had amazing views of the full Snow Moon over the weekend of 31 January–1 February 2026, but not many will have had a view like this.
Photographers Chengcheng Xu and Tianyao Yang managed to capture the full Moon rising over the NASA rocket that's due to take four astronauts around the Moon and back.
More amazing images
The Artemis II mission could lift-off in February 2026, taking humans back to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo moonlandings.
The photographers were able to pinpoint the exact location they would need to be positioned to capture the full Moon rising over Kennedy Space Center, with the Artemis II Space Launch System sitting on its launchpad, ready to go.
NASA has said the mission could launch early February, meaning this might be the last full Moon visible from Earth before Artemis II lifts off.
As of Monday 2 February, the countdown has begun for the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal, where ground teams will run through the necessary procedures ahead of launch day.
"Our photographs capture the February full Moon (the Snow Moon) rising directly behind NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, on the evening of 1 February 2026," say Chengcheng Xu and Tianyao Yang.
"The image was taken during preparations for NASA’s Artemis II mission, creating a visual link between the Moon and the rocket designed to return humans to the lunar environment.
"The images were taken from a beach near Orlando, Florida, USA, approximately 18.55km from the launch pad, at around 18:04 EST.
"The alignment was carefully planned using the Planit Pro app by modelling the SLS rocket and launch tower geometry to calculate the precise shooting location, distance and timing.
"At the time the photograph was taken, NASA was conducting key pre-launch preparations for Artemis II, so we wanted to capture the full Moon rising behind the world’s most powerful lunar rocket."
Details
- Photographers: Chengcheng Xu, Tianyao Yang
- Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
- Date and time: 1 February 2026, 18:04 EST
- Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II camera, Canon RF 200–800mm lens
- Exposure: ISO 500, f/9, 1/40s
- Processing: Minor adjustments to exposure, white balance and contrast, with a small crop for composition.
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