NASA shares first photos of Earth taken by Artemis II: "Hello, World"

[riversedge]

Source: CBS news

Updated on: April 3, 2026 / 10:30 AM EDT


NASA released the first photos of Earth taken by the crew of Artemis II on Friday, hours after the mission left Earth's orbit.

The first photo, taken by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, shows the entire planet, and both the Northern and Southern lights are visible over the poles. Zodiacal light, created by sunlight reflecting off dust in the solar system, is visible in the bottom right of the image.


.......................


Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen told NASA's mission control spacecraft communicator that the Artemis II crew was "glued to the window" and "taking pictures" of the planet after breaking out of Earth orbit. In a live conversation with reporters late Thursday night, Wiseman described a moment similar to the one shown in the photograph.

"There was a moment, about an hour ago, where mission control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind the Earth…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," Wiseman said at the time.

....................

The Artemis II is traveling on a trajectory that will carry the astronauts around the far side of the moon on Monday, then bring them back towards Earth. The astronauts aboard the spacecraft are expected to travel farther from Earth than anyone before them, reaching a distance of about 252,021 miles as they pass behind the moon.

..................................

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/artemis-ii-earth-photo-nasa-reid-wiseman/

---

NASA @NASA
We see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere. That's us, together, watching as our astronauts make their journey to the Moon.

Link to tweet

?s=20

NASA shares first photos of Earth taken by Artemis II: "Hello, World"
Updated on: April 3, 2026 / 10:30 AM EDT

www.cbsnews.com/news/artemis...

— (@oceancalm.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T17:05:14.568Z

NASA shared another image that showed a sliver of Earth through the Orion capsule window on X.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Coldwater]

1. Fantastic Pictures, I certainly hope

flat earthers are not calling it fake news

[eggplant]

2. I enjoy their dissent.

[AllaN01Bear]

8. i was going to say something with that effect.

[BeneteauBum]

9. The few flat earthers I've met refuse to accept facts

Even simple geometry and basic reasoning is beyond their comprehension. They all have embraced one ludicrous conspiracy theory or another. One told me space flight is impossible due to the thermosphere, a region of high temperatures at an altitude of about 500 miles. It takes all kinds of…..I just shake my head.

Peace ☮️

[Bayard]

3. We haven't had new pics like that in a long time

Very cool!

[tavernier]

4. Holy smoke, it is flat!

[riversedge]

5. The Straight of Gibraltar Lisbon, Portugal Seville, Spain Casablanca & our incredibly thin atmosphere All visible in th

To me it is remarkable to take these pictures and to be able to send them back to Mother Earth.



The Straight of Gibraltar
Lisbon, Portugal
Seville, Spain
Casablanca
& our incredibly thin atmosphere

All visible in this one little corner of a photo taken from a little spacecraft tens of thousands of miles away… unbelievable

Link to tweet

?s=20

[electric_blue68]

14. Silly me...( 😄 ) I was looking at that photo earlier and...

thinking Africa looked "weird".
Not even considering the fact that it could be "upside down", and "leftward" to our typical map/globe perspective!

So, there [Gibraltar] it is: down in the lower left corner of the photo!

DUHhhh...me!!!


Really amazing photo!

[llmart]

6. Something disheartening to me...

An acquaintance of mine who is in her 60's and works in a medical office told me that all the young people she works with believe that the first moon landing in 1969 was all staged. She was so disappointed to hear that.

[littlemissmartypants]

10. First of all...

How many are "all" and the young people that I'm talking to say that they would rather have universal healthcare, job creation, affordable housing, and food that they can afford to buy.

My point is that it depends on who you talk with, and many young people today are more pragmatic realists and seem depressed.

Being easily confused and apathetic often comes with being beaten down by life. So it's hard not to feel their pain.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Obviously taken from directly above the disc...

They won't allow them to photograph the bottom of the disc. Would destroy the spherical Earth myth they push so hard.

(did I reallly need that? )

[AllaN01Bear]

11. how many of you duers remember the big blue marble photo taken by the apollo crews.?

love it.

[electric_blue68]

15. I was thinking of that " blue marble" phrase while looking at that photo.

[DFW]

12. Like many astronauts before him (including Mark Kelly)

Ike Glover is a multiple attendee of Renaissance Weekend. My wife and I go every December.

I hope we get to see some spectacular photos this December!!

[rickford66]

13. I remember The Whole Earth Catalog.

Cover had the first photo of the whole Earth.