Artemis II: Mission Day 4 — Evening Update — April 04, 2026

0:03 Calarogus Shark Media. Good evening. This is sleep from space. Right now, NASA's Deep Space network is tracking Orion, closing in on the Moon two hundred and eighty two thousand kilometers from Earth. A signal from Orion takes zero point nine seconds to reach Earth. After a day in Earth orbit checking out systems on the Orion capsule, the Artemis two crew is headed to the Moon. The Artemis two crew continues on a smooth course to the Moon. Today, Artemis two Orion performs TLI burn. Now headed to the Moon, spurred by American ingenuity, Astronauts on NASA's Artemis two mission are in flight, preparing for the first crude lunar flyby in more than fifty years. A day after lighting its engine to head to the Moon, the Artemis two Orion spacecraft is performing well with only minor issues. The Sun is relatively quiet tonight. Sun spot activity is low and aurora chances are slim for most locations. A good night to simply enjoy the stars. Venus continues its rain as the evening star, shining so bright it casts faint shadows.

1:21 On dark nights. Mercury peaks above the western horizon briefly after sunset. Coastal areas see minimal tidal range this week. These neep tides occur when the Sun and Moon work against each other. Asteroid twenty twenty three two, comparable to a large aircraft, will fly past Earth today, roughly two times the Moon's distance. Completely safe, but a nice reminder of our busy solar system. Tonight, the half moon doesn't rise until after midnight, giving you dark skies all evening. Great night for deep sky observing. Virgo sprawls across the southeastern sky, marked by the brilliant star Spica