Artemis II crew take ‘spectacular’ image of Earth
Artemis II crew take ‘spectacular’ image of Earth
NASA has unveiled the initial high-resolution images of Earth captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar orbit journey. These photographs were taken following the completion of a critical engine burn that propelled the spacecraft toward the Moon. The mission’s commander, Reid Wiseman, described the visuals as “spectacular,” capturing the Earth in a unique perspective as it passed in front of the Sun.
The first photograph, titled “Hello, World,” highlights the sprawling blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, bordered by the faint shimmer of Earth’s atmosphere. The image also reveals green auroras at both poles, creating a striking contrast against the dark lunar sky. Wiseman noted that the Earth appears inverted in the view, with the western Sahara and Iberian Peninsula visible on the left, while the eastern part of South America is framed on the right.
“We are getting a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth, lit by the Moon,” said mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, speaking to Houston-based mission control after the trans-lunar injection burn.
Venus is clearly visible in the bottom-right corner of the image, identified by NASA. The burn, executed early on Friday, successfully launched the Orion spacecraft beyond Earth’s orbit, setting the stage for a 200,000-mile journey around the Moon. Artemis II is now following a trajectory that will loop it around the far side of the Moon and back.
This marks the first human venture beyond Earth’s orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The crew is expected to reach the Moon’s far side on 6 April and return to Earth on 10 April. During the process, Wiseman humorously called mission control to inquire about cleaning the windows, a necessary task after their excitement caused them to become smudged during photography sessions.
Wiseman initially struggled with adjusting exposure settings to capture Earth from such a distance, comparing the experience to “walking out back at your house, trying to take a picture of the moon.” However, the challenge has since been overcome. A later image from the crew displays the Earth split by day and night, with the terminator line marking the boundary between light and shadow. Another view shows the planet in near-total darkness, its human-made lights glowing like stars against the void.
NASA also shared a side-by-side comparison of the 2026 Earth view from Artemis II with the 1972 Apollo 17 imagery. “We’ve come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing hasn’t changed: our home looks gorgeous from space!” the agency wrote in its caption.
