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‘Our home looks gorgeous’: Nasa releases stunning first photos of Earth from Artemis II; internet reacts
Sharing the images of the Earth from inside the Orion spacecraft, Nasa compared a photo with one clicked from space in 1972.
Nasa releases first Earth images from Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft. (Image source: Nasa)
Artemis II released its first-ever images captured from inside the Orion spacecraft, currently carrying four astronauts on a journey around the Moon. The mission was launched on April 1 with Nasa astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), and Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist).
One of the photos, taken by mission commander Wiseman, shows a striking view of Earth through the capsule window. The planet appears draped in clouds, almost as if it is rising in the distance while the spacecraft continues its path forward.
Another image captures a full view of the globe, highlighting vast oceans and even a faint green aurora glowing along the edges.
Sharing the images, Nasa compared a photo clicked of the Earth from space in 1972 vs 2026. “1972 ->2026. Apollo 17->Artemis II,” the caption read.
“We’ve come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing hasn’t changed: Our home looks gorgeous from space! The left view is from the Apollo 17 crew in 1972 and the right was captured yesterday by the Artemis II crew,” the post added.
See here:
1972 ➡️2026
Apollo 17 ➡️ Artemis II pic.twitter.com/wGc2wtY0e2— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
The post has since gone viral, prompting a range of reactions. “I’m still struggling to understand the map. Where is Africa on the map? Or something going on that we’re not aware of?” a user wrote. “What’s making the earth change color or its camera quality different ?” another user commented.
“More water is covering the earth now than it used to? Is the world gonna get destroyed by water in the future?” a third user reacted.
By midmorning Friday, the crew had travelled nearly 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometres) from Earth and were steadily approaching the Moon, with roughly the same distance left to cover. They are expected to reach lunar proximity on Monday. The mission involves orbiting the Moon in the Orion capsule before returning to Earth, without attempting a landing. The spacecraft was placed on its trajectory after a key engine burn on Thursday night.
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“I knew that that is what we would see,” mission specialist Christina Koch, who is set to become the first woman to travel around the Moon, told ABC News during a video call.
“But there’s nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day and also the moon glow on it at night with a beautiful beam of the sunset and knowing that we’re going to get similar views of the moon. I’m really excited for that. And then, of course, heading home,” she added.
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