Astronauts aboard Artemis II have released new images of Earth as their spacecraft continues its journey towards the Moon, offering a rare view of the planet from deep space.
The photographs, taken from the Orion capsule, show Earth as a distant sphere with visible cloud formations, illuminated regions, and a faint green aurora.
One of the images, captured by Commander Reid Wiseman, presents a partial view of the planet framed by the spacecraft window, while another reveals a full view of Earth against the darkness of space.
Even in darkness, we glow.
In this image of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew, we can see the electric lights of human activity. In the lower right, sunlight illuminates the limb of the planet. pic.twitter.com/kWcjHFvoDM
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
According to NASA, variations in camera exposure helped highlight different features, including city lights on the night side and the bright edge where sunlight meets darkness.
Another image highlighted the boundary between day and night on Earth, a phenomenon known as the terminator, illustrating the contrast between illuminated and shadowed regions.
In this image, also taken from the Orion capsule, we see the divide between night and day, known as the terminator, cutting across Earth. Whether awake or dreaming, we’re all here on this planet together. pic.twitter.com/NhtD2DjBYQ
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
The mission marks a significant milestone, being the first crewed journey towards the Moon in over five decades since Apollo 17.
Officials said the spacecraft had travelled more than 1,80,000 kilometres from Earth as of Friday, with further distance remaining before reaching its planned lunar flyby.
The crew, consisting of three astronauts from the United States and one from Canada, is likely to loop around the Moon before returning to Earth without landing.
Mission representatives said the journey has been progressing as planned, with the images offering a reminder of Earth’s shared presence as seen from space.
Also Read: Reliance, Meta Join Hands To Launch Enterprise AI Venture In India
To read more such news, download Bharat Express news apps
