NASA's Artemis II Commander Shares Additional Earth Images During Lunar Journey

NASA has released two new photographs taken by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft while en route to the Moon. The images, captured shortly after the mission's translunar injection burn, depict Earth's terminator line and its dark side. One photograph shows the boundary between day and night on the planet, while the other presents an almost completely shadowed Earth with solar illumination visible around its lower right section. NASA explained that both pictures were taken minutes apart using different camera settings on what is believed to be a Nikon D5 DSLR. The space agency noted that varying shutter speeds created the contrasting visual effects, with one image emphasizing Earth's nighttime glow. Cornell University referenced Carl Sagan's 'Pale Blue Dot' reflections in response to the photographs, drawing parallels between these new views and Sagan's famous observations about Earth's significance. These images follow earlier photographs shared by the Artemis II crew and were made public on April 3, 2026. The photographs provide visual documentation of the spacecraft's journey and offer perspectives on Earth's appearance from space during lunar transit.