NASA Shares Unseen Artemis II Photos to Mark Earth Day

April 23, 2026 admin

NASA released the images to mark Earth Day.

To mark Earth Day (April 22), NASA has released a series of previously unseen photos of the planet taken by the Artemis II astronauts during their historic voyage to the far side of the Moon.

The main photo (above) shows the terminator — the line between night and day — across Earth. The Artemis II astronauts captured this view on April 2, 2026, during their journey to the Moon.

View of Earth's cloudy surface and blue horizon through a dark, rounded window, possibly from an airplane or spacecraft, with the surrounding interior mostly in shadow. — This interesting angle was taken out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon. | NASA

View of Earth from space showing clouds over land and ocean, with the curve of the planet visible against the darkness of space at the bottom of the image. — A view of Earth taken by an Artemis II astronaut from one of the Orion spacecraft’s four windows on April 2, 2026. | NASA

NASA notes that it was Bill Anders’ famous photo, Earthrise, taken in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, that helped spark the first Earth Day celebration just two years later.

Almost 60 years later, and the Artemis astronauts are taking their own poignant photos of Earth, which have inspired so many people.

“On Earth Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary responsibility we share to understand our planet,” says NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “NASA’s Earth science missions continue to deliver critical data that strengthen communities, support industries like agriculture, and help the nation anticipate and respond to wildfires, droughts, flooding, and other natural hazards. Together with our Earth science partners, NASA is committed to deepening our understanding of Earth.”

A view of Earth from space showing a curved horizon, swirling white clouds over blue oceans, and the blackness of outer space above. — A view of Earth taken by an Artemis II astronaut from one of the Orion spacecraft’s four windows on April 2, 2026. | NASA

A crescent-shaped Earth is seen from space against a black background, with part of the planet illuminated and the rest in shadow, revealing blue oceans and white cloud patterns. — A sliver of Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window on the second day of the mission. | NASA

“Our four Artemis II astronauts — Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy — took humanity on a journey that showed us just how special and bright our Earth is, even from the dark side of the Moon, that is especially worth celebrating on Earth Day,” says Nicky Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“Seeing the incredible images of our blue marble planet over time from Apollo 8’s Earthrise to Artemis II’s Earthset, it is not only a symbolic moment of beauty, but like the other images captured during the lunar flyby, Earthset is brimming with incredible science in high definition that will help inform our future Artemis missions on the Moon.”

Image credits: NASA

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