# Apollo 8: Earthrise on Christmas Eve 1968
Published: December 24, 2025
Duration: 1:53
# Astronomy Tonight Podcast
This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome back, stargazers! Today we're celebrating December 24th, and oh, do we have a celestial treat for you! On this very date in 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft executed one of the most daring maneuvers in human history—it entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, making astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders the first human beings to orbit the Moon!
Imagine this: it's the height of the Cold War space race, and these three brave souls are hurtling through the vacuum of space at nearly 25,000 mi...
This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome back, stargazers! Today we're celebrating December 24th, and oh, do we have a celestial treat for you! On this very date in 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft executed one of the most daring maneuvers in human history—it entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, making astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders the first human beings to orbit the Moon!
Imagine this: it's the height of the Cold War space race, and these three brave souls are hurtling through the vacuum of space at nearly 25,000 mi...