NASA released the first high-resolution images of Earth captured by the Artemis II crew as they journey toward the Moon, marking humanity's return to deep space photography after more than five decades. Mission commander Reid Wiseman took the spectacular photographs using a tablet-based Personal Computing Device after the spacecraft completed its trans-lunar injection burn on Friday.
The flagship image, titled "Hello, World," reveals Earth as a brilliant blue marble framed by the thin glow of its atmosphere. The photograph shows the Atlantic Ocean's vast expanse with the western Sahara and Iberian Peninsula visible on the left, eastern South America on the right, and green auroras dancing at both poles. Venus appears as a bright point in the bottom right corner.
There was a moment about an hour ago where Mission Control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind the Earth. And I don't know what we all expected to see at that moment, but you could see the entire globe, from pole to pole. You could see Africa, Europe, and if you looked really close, you could see the northern lights. It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks.
Reid Wiseman, Mission Commander — NASA
The crew — comprising Americans Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen — are currently more than 100,000 miles from Earth with approximately 150,000 miles remaining to reach the Moon. They successfully cleared Earth's orbit following the critical engine burn that propelled them on their historic trajectory.
Additional images capture Earth's terminator line, the boundary between day and night, with electric lights twinkling across the planet's darkened surface. The photographs were taken after the crew became so captivated by the views that they postponed their first shared meal in space to continue taking pictures.