
NASA has shared the first breathtaking views of Earth taken from the Artemis II mission as the crew continues its journey toward the moon.
The photos reveal Earth behind the Orion spacecraft, our home planet aglow with aurora.
One photo of Earth, taken Thursday by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion window, shows the planet backlit, with auroras visible at the top right and bottom left, Lakiesha Hawkins, deputy director for NASA’s Artemis program, said Friday during a news conference.
A zodiacal light is also visible at the bottom right as the Earth eclipses the sun, she said.
Another photo of Earth, also taken by Wiseman, shows a terminator line, meaning the line separating daylight and nighttime on the planet.
“What an amazing shot that he shared with us here,” she said.
The photos were taken after completing the translunar injection burn Thursday.
Hawkins said Friday, the third day of the Artemis II mission, that so far systems are normal and “the crew is in great spirit.”
The four crew members — NASA astronauts Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — launched Wednesday on the 10-day mission.
As of Friday, the crew is more than 100,000 miles from Earth, with about 150,000 miles to go to the moon.
The mission does not include a lunar landing, but is designed as a step toward a landing in 2028.
The next major milestone for the space pioneers will be Monday, when the crew is expected to fly around the moon.
That flyby could mark the farthest venture from Earth made by humans, surpassing the distance record of 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LATEST POSTS
- 1
The most effective method to Succeed in Your Web based Advertising Degree: Procedures for Progress - 2
This Canadian crater looks like marbled meat | Space photo of the day for Jan. 6, 2026 - 3
Help Your Efficiency with These Work area Updates - 4
Daily Briefing: A bad flu season gets worse - 5
Big Bear glows with big stars | Space photo of the day for Dec. 31, 2025
Catholic influencer shares death of 5-year-old son from 'severe' flu
Understanding Various Sorts of Financial balances: An Extensive Outline
New 'People We Meet on Vacation' trailer teases Poppy and Alex romance: Everything we know about the new Netflix movie
Most loved Fish Dish: What's Your Sea Pleasure?
Manual for 6 well known Amusement Park
Rick Steves' Newest Guidebook Is A Fresh Perspective On Italy Spilling The Country's Secrets
How color-changing, bacteria-infused spacesuits could help keep future astronauts safe from space radiation
Gaza receiving over 70,000 cubic meters of water per day, COGAT claims
Sentimental tree to shine at Arctic League annual broadcast













