From a crescent Earth to the side of the Moon we never see – best images of our planet and satellite captured by the Artemis II crew during their mission
From a crescent Earth to the side of the Moon we never see – best images of our planet and satellite captured by the Artemis II crew during their mission
A selection of images of Earth and the Moon captured during Artemis II
Get monthly inspiration to your door with BBC Sky At Night Magazine - subscribe todayNormally we think of our Moon as having phases. Here, we can see Earth also has phases! The 'terminator' is the name given to the line separating the lit-and unlit portions of a celestial body like a planet or moon. This image was captured during Artemis II on 2 April 2026. Credit: NASA
Artemis II's trajectory took them round the far side of the Moon, giving them glimpses of the side of our natural satellite we never see from Earth.
The crew also got to view our planet from distances farther than any human being has travelled before them.
This includes views of Earth basked in sunlight, but also views of our planet as a thin crescent, set against the inky backdrop of deep space.
Here are some of the best images of Earth and the Moon from space, captured during the Artemis II mission.
Tap or click on each image to zoom in and get a closer look.
A view of Earth captured from the Orion capsule during the Artemis II mission, 2 April 2026. Credit: NASANASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch looks back at Earth during the Artemis II mission, shortly after launch, 2 April 2026. Credit: NASAA view of the Moon from the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, captured on 6 April 2026. Credit: NASATwo sides of the Moon in one view. This image of the Moon was captured by the crew onboard the Artemis II mission on 6 April 2026. The right side of the Moon in this image is a part of the near side; the only side we see from Earth. On the left is a section of the far side of the Moon, which we never see from Earth. Credit: NASAAn image of Earth captured by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft after the Artemis II mission's translunar injection burn on 2 April 2026. This was the manoeuvre that set Artemis II on course for the Moon. Credit: NASAThe Artemis II crew captured this image on the second flight day of their mission, 3 April 2026. The image was captured by a camera on the tip of one of the Orion capsule's solar array wings. Credit: NASAA crescent Earth against the blackness of space. This image was captured by an Artemis II crew member from the one of the Orion capsule's windows on the third day of the mission, 3 April 2026. Credit: NASAA view of Earth capture by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft's window on 2 April 2026. Credit: NASA/Reid WisemanThe nearside of the Moon in an image captured during the Artemis II mission, 5 April 2026. On the left edge of the lunar disc, a black patch is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that's only partially visible from Earth as a result of lunar libration. The white patch at the bottom of Tycho crater. Credit: NASANormally we think of our Moon as having phases. Here, we can see Earth also has phases! The 'terminator' is the name given to the line separating the lit-and unlit portions of a celestial body like a planet or moon. This image was captured during Artemis II on 2 April 2026. Credit: NASAEarth as a thin crescent, captured by the Artemis II image, 5 April 2026. Credit: NASANASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman looking out one of the windows of the Orion spacecraft at Earth. Credit: NASAThe dark side of Earth, as seen during the Artemis II mission, 3 April 2026. Credit: NASAA view of the Moon captured during the Artemis II mission. The near side of the Moon – the only side we see from Earth – takes up the top half of the lunar disc. Dark patches are ancient lava flows from a time when our Moon was volcanically active. Credit: NASAThe day the Earth smiled. A crescent Earth, as seen by the Artemis II crew, 3 April 2026. Credit: NASA
Iain Todd is BBC Sky at Night Magazine's Content Editor who has been writing about astronomy and space science for over a decade. He has covered major stargazing events, space launches and the latest news in cosmology, astrophysics, planetary and space science.
