Latest update:April 20, 2026 at 4:34 PM IST

The video, shot on an iPhone from orbit, shows Earth dipping behind the moon’s horizon, leaving viewers awestruck.

‘Only one chance in a lifetime’: Astronaut shares rare video of ‘Earth group’ from space

A stunning view from space showing Earth setting behind the moon has drawn attention online, with astronaut Reed Wiseman describing the moment as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”.

Wiseman shared the video from space, capturing a rare view of Earth slowly disappearing behind the moon’s horizon. The clip posted on X shows what astronauts call an “Earth constellation” — similar to a sunset on Earth, but seen from orbit as the planet disappears from view.

Wiseman said the moment was so amazing that he couldn’t resist recording it on his phone.

“I couldn’t resist a video of Earthset on a cell phone,” he wrote, adding that the footage was “uncropped, uncropped at 8x zoom,” and is exactly the same as what the human eye sees.

The video also captures the environment inside the spacecraft.

In the video caption, Weissman described the scene inside the vehicle. “You can hear the Nikon camera shutter sound as astronaut Christina Koch takes multiple shots with the 400mm lens to capture the same moment.

@AstroVicGlover (Victor Glover) was in Window 3 watching with @Astro_Jeremy (Jeremy Hansen) next to him,” wrote @AstroVicGlover.

Weissman noted that he could barely see the moon through the docking hole window, but the size of the phone made it easy to capture the scene.

The video quickly gained popularity online, as users reacted to this rare perspective.

“I hope one day we all get the chance to see this,” one user wrote.

Another said: “This is without a doubt the most amazing video ever recorded by humans in space using a phone.”

Others focused on the experience itself.

One comment read: “Once in a lifetime really! I can’t imagine what it’s like to be up close to the moon and watch the Earth set.”

Some reactions also highlighted the technology used.

“Not only did humans make history, Apple made history too,” one user wrote, referring to the phone used to record the clip.

This moment stands out because it is rarely seen. Unlike a sunset on Earth, a “sunset” from space requires precise location and timing, something that only a few astronauts have experienced firsthand.

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