NASA has released the first high-resolution images of Earth captured by the Artemis II crew as they embark on their trip around the Moon. The "spectacular" images, taken by mission commander Reid Wiseman, were shared after the crew completed a final engine burn that set their trajectory toward our closest celestial neighbor.

The first image, titled "Hello, World," showcases the vast blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, framed by a thin glow of the atmosphere as Earth eclipses the Sun, with green auroras visible at both poles. Earth appears upside down in the view, with the western Sahara and Iberian peninsula on the left and the eastern portion of South America on the right. NASA identified the bright planet in the bottom right as Venus.

The images were taken following the crew's successful completion of a trans-lunar injection burn in the early hours of Friday. This burn propelled the Orion spacecraft out of Earth orbit as the four astronauts aboard aim to travel over 200,000 miles to the Moon. Artemis II is now on a looping path that will carry the crew around the far side of the Moon and back, marking the first time since 1972 that humans have traveled beyond Earth's orbit.

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen told mission control in Houston that after the burn was completed, the crew were "glued to the windows" taking pictures. "We are getting a beautiful view of the dark side of the Earth, lit by the Moon," he said. Wiseman later called back down to mission control to inquire about cleaning the windows, as the astronauts' enthusiasm for viewing space had left them dirty.

The commander initially found it challenging to photograph our planet from the spacecraft, noting that taking photos at such a distance made it difficult to adjust exposure settings. "It's like walking out back at your house, trying to take a picture of the moon," he told mission control. However, this is no longer an issue. Another view captured by Wiseman shows Earth divided by night and day, with the frontier between light and darkness known as the terminator.

Source: www.bbc.com