
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
Turkiye’s Erdogan calls Israel’s Somaliland recognition ‘unacceptable’ - 2
Activist vessel collides with krill trawler in Antarctic confrontation - 3
6 Novice Cameras for 2024: Ideal for New Picture takers - 4
Investigate Business Mastercard Choices for Better Rewards and Rewards - 5
Sean Penn lights up, Kylie Jenner gets A-list approval and 7 other moments you didn’t see at the Golden Globes
Exclusive-Drugmakers raise US prices on 350 medicines despite pressure from Trump
Burkina Faso must 'forget' about democracy, military leader says
Addiction-stricken community struggles to keep a syringe program going after Trump's order
Nations for Youngsters to Visit
Midlife weight gain can start long before menopause – but you can take steps early on to help your body weather the hormonal shift
Israeli tourist data from 2025 misrepresented as mass exodus to Thailand
5 Signs Now is the ideal time to Update Your Android Telephone: When to Take the Action
Thousands of genomes reveal the wild wolf genes in most dogs’ DNA
Winter virus season so far is not too bad, but doctors worry about suffering to come













