What is the name of the Sistine Chapel ceiling scene showing the creation of the sun, moon, and plants?

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The Sistine Chapel ceiling scene showing the creation of the sun, moon, and plants is called The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants.

Michelangelo placed this fresco among the nine central scenes illustrating the Book of Genesis. It shows God in two successive moments: creating the sun and moon in one direction and bringing vegetation into existence in the other. The unusual composition allows one image to represent separate stages of the creation narrative.

The scene is often confused with The Creation of Adam, the ceiling’s most famous panel. The Creation of Adam shows God reaching toward Adam, whereas The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants focuses on the ordering of the cosmos and the emergence of the natural world.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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