Artemis 2 Captures Stunning New Photos of Earth From Moon

For the first time in over 50 years, astronauts traveled around the moon and brought back stunning new views of our blue marble home.

NASA's Artemis 2 mission returned to Earth on April 10, 2026, after circling the moon and capturing incredible images that rival the most famous space photographs in history. Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew snapped photos of Earth rising, setting, and glowing against the darkness of space from their Orion capsule.

The most memorable moment came when the four astronauts watched Earth disappear behind the moon. "Like watching sunset at the beach from the most foreign seat in the cosmos," Wiseman wrote on social media, sharing a cellphone video of the rare sight.

For 40 minutes, the crew lost all contact with Earth as they traveled beyond the moon's far side. During that time, our planet vanished completely from view. "It is amazing to watch your home planet disappear behind the moon," Wiseman said after splashdown. "You can see the atmosphere. You can see the terrain on the moon projected across the Earth, and then it was gone."

The crew also captured an image they named "Hello, World" showing Earth eclipsing the sun, with zodiacal light glowing around the edges. Hidden in that photo are two auroras dancing at opposite poles of our planet.

The Ripple Effect

These new images continue a powerful tradition started 58 years ago when Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders photographed "Earthrise" on December 24, 1968. That single image helped spark the modern environmental movement by showing Earth's fragility and beauty.

Decades later, Voyager 1 captured the "pale blue dot" photo from 3.7 billion miles away, showing our entire world as a tiny speck in a beam of scattered sunlight. Astronomer Carl Sagan used that image to remind humanity of our shared home.

Now, Artemis 2 mission specialist Christina Koch adds her voice to that legacy. Floating weightless in the Orion capsule and gazing at Earth through the window, she reflected on what the journey taught her. "Planet Earth: You are a crew," Koch said during the post-mission news conference.

From the moon, Earth looks like what it truly is: a beautiful island of life floating in the cosmos, home to everyone who has ever lived.