# Apollo 8's Historic Return: Earthrise and Lunar Legacy
Published: January 22, 2026
Duration: 1:35
# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Welcome, stargazers! Today we're celebrating January 22nd, a date that holds a truly spectacular moment in astronomical history.
On January 22, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft completed its historic lunar orbit mission and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. But here's where it gets really exciting – this wasn't just any space mission. Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, and on Christmas Eve just weeks earlier, the astronauts (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders) had transmitted the iconic "Earthrise" photograph back to Earth.
However, if we're ta...
Welcome, stargazers! Today we're celebrating January 22nd, a date that holds a truly spectacular moment in astronomical history.
On January 22, 1968, the Apollo 8 spacecraft completed its historic lunar orbit mission and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. But here's where it gets really exciting – this wasn't just any space mission. Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, and on Christmas Eve just weeks earlier, the astronauts (Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders) had transmitted the iconic "Earthrise" photograph back to Earth.
However, if we're ta...