Artemis Ii's Moon-bound Astronauts Capture Earth's Brilliant Blue Beauty As They Leave It Behind

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The Artemis II astronauts person captured our bluish planet’s superb beauty arsenic they zoom ever closer to nan moon.

NASA released nan crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into nan first astronaut moonshot successful much than half a century.

The first photograph taken by Cmdr. Reid Wiseman shows a curved portion of Earth successful 1 of nan capsule’s windows. The 2nd shows nan full globe pinch nan oceans topped by swirling achromatic tendrils of clouds. A greenish aurora moreover glows, according to NASA.

As of midmorning Friday, Wiseman and his unit were 100,000 miles from Earth and were quickly gaining connected nan satellite pinch 160,000 miles to go. They should scope their destination Monday.

The 3 Americans and 1 Canadian will plaything astir nan satellite successful their Orion capsule, bent a U-turn and past caput consecutive backmost location without stopping. They fired Orion’s main motor Thursday nighttime that group them connected their course.

After Mission Control shifted nan position of their capsule, nan full Earth complete pinch bluish lights filled their windows.

“It was nan astir spectacular moment, and it paused each 4 of america successful our tracks,” Wiseman said successful a TV interview.

They’re nan first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 successful 1972.

Dunn writes for nan Associated Press.